Royal Patronage

The Royal Variety Charity has been honoured with Royal Patronage from the reigning Monarch ever since 1921, when His Majesty King George V became the first Patron of the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund  (the previous name of the Royal Variety Charity).

His Majesty King George V also decreed, in the same year, that the Royal Variety Performance would become an annual event, after the success of the two previous Royal shows in 1912 and 1919. Her Majesty Queen Mary joined her husband the King, as joint Patron of the charity, shortly afterwards.

King George V added that 'the Monarch or a senior member of the Royal Family, would attend an annual Performance, in aid of Brinsworth House and the Royal Variety Charity, once a year thereafter, to demonstrate the Royal family's love and support for the entertainment industry and its associated charity.'

Entertainers not only lift the mood of the nation but influence its very heart and what is so often overlooked, is how the majority of those working in the profession are driven solely by passion, with little thought for their future, or long-term security. This is something keenly understood by generations of the Royal family and for which we are all eternally grateful.

The Royal Variety Charity was honoured to have Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as its longest serving Patron for 70 years, between 1952 and 2022.

Her Majesty The Late Queen shared patronage of the charity with HM The Queen Mother until her passing in 2002 and historically the Royal Variety Charity enjoyed dual patronage from the King and Queen (King George V with Queen Mary, and King George VI with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother).

In 2024, King Charles III accepted Patronage of the Royal Variety Charity, continuing the tradition and demonstrating the Royal Family's continued love and support for the entertainment industry.