Prince Charles is marking his 70th year by forming a new charity aimed at preserving some of the country’s most beautiful buildings “for many years to come”.
The Duke of Rothesay will celebrate his birthday in November and said the upcoming milestone had given him pause for reflection on how best to ensure that worthy causes established in his name thrive well into the future.
Last night, he announced the formation of The Prince’s Foundation – a new group combining four existing charities bearing his name.
The Prince of Wales said: “As I approach something of a milestone in my own life, I have had a chance to reflect on how best to ensure my charities can continue to help those people and causes they were initially set up to serve, both now and for many years to come.”
The four entities now coming under the one umbrella are The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.
The newly-amalgamated Prince’s Foundation will be based at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, although the four organisations will retain their individual offices.
It is thought that turning the four charities into divisions of a single charity will allow them to expand further, with more people receiving assistance.
The Prince’s Foundation will focus on delivering work to improve the built environment, save heritage and promote culture.
It will run community education projects across the UK on topics including traditional arts and science, heritage, design and architecture, horticulture, health and personal care.
The Duke of Rothesay added he was “particularly pleased” that The Dumfries House Trust was playing a leading role in the amalgamation, after spending 10 years restoring the Ayrshire estate.
It was in 2007 that the royal became aware of the ancient building being put up for sale, and led a consortium of organisations in coming to its rescue.
The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community was established in 1986 to champion traditional architecture and The Prince’s Regeneration Trust has striven to ensure historic buildings, at risk of demolition or decay, are preserved.
The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts is a school in London which the Duke founded in 2005 to “to continue the living traditions of the world’s sacred and traditional art forms”.