Each year working Members of the Royal Family carry out over 2,000 official engagements in the UK and overseas. These engagements vary greatly, from visits to community initiatives, to welcoming visiting Heads of State, meeting guests at official Garden Parties and presenting members of the public with their honours at Investiture ceremonies. Members of the Royal Family often carry out official duties in the UK and overseas where the Monarch cannot be present in person, such as State funerals or national festivities, or undertake visits to strengthen Britain’s diplomatic and economic relations.
The Royal Family also plays an important role in supporting and encouraging the public and charity sectors. About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The huge range of these organisations – covering every subject from education to the environment, hospitals to housing – allows members of the Royal Family to meet people from a wide spectrum of national and local life, and to learn more about the challenges they face. Some members of the Royal Family have also established their own charities such as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, a charity which provides advice and support for people acting as carers.
