King launches 35th anniversary celebrations for his charity

The King has arrived at the headquarters of his charity to mark the launch of its 35th anniversary year celebrations.

The King’s Foundation was founded as the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture by Charles in 1990 when he was Prince of Wales, and works to build sustainable communities and transform lives.

On Wednesday, the King was joined by Sir Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster, the newest celebrity ambassadors for the foundation, at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.

During the visit Charles will place a personal letter and the first item into The King’s Foundation’s 35th anniversary time capsule, to mark the start of a year of celebrations.

The foundation also works to promote the King’s philosophy of harmony which sees everything in nature as interconnected, including ourselves, and advocates taking a holistic approach to the challenges facing the planet.

Over the course of the year the charity will collect items which people feel represent the achievements and legacy of The King’s Foundation, with a particular focus on what inspired people to devote their time to protecting the built and natural world.

Once the collection of items is complete the time capsule will be buried on the Dumfries House estate and opened in 100 years.

The time capsule itself was designed and made from oak at the Snowdon School of Furniture, part of The King’s Foundation at Highgrove, by King’s Foundation alumnus Aiden Lawley.

Its design has been left intentionally plain to both celebrate the British timber used and to give space for other students and alumni to add decorative elements throughout the year.

A newly created bust of Charles, created by a former King’s Foundation student, Lily Marsh, who now runs a successful sculpting business, will also be on show during the event.

During the visit on Wednesday, the King will speak to members of the local community, ambassadors and alumni of the foundation, while Alan Titchmarsh, an ambassador for the charity, will also attend.

Sir Rod, who has just celebrated his 80th birthday, and model, special constable and Loose Women star Penny have joined the likes of David Beckham and Sienna Miller in the role of celebrity ambassadors.

The veteran rocker, whose hits include Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Hot Legs and Maggie May, said: “We are so pleased to be coming on board as ambassadors for The King’s Foundation and look forward to lending our support to this worthwhile cause, particularly during such a significant year for the charity.”

Penny, also known as Lady Stewart, said: “As a volunteer special constable, the foundation’s approach to building communities – and how access to green spaces can help build better, healthier places – is particularly important to me.

“It’s an honour to be working with the foundation and I can’t wait to meet more of the inspiring people who both learn with and work for the organisation.”

Sir Rod, who has long been a supporter of the charity, joined the King, Beckham and Miller at the foundation’s inaugural awards in St James’s Palace in June.

The charity supports 15,000 students across its education programmes each year and said it has a positive impact on hundreds of thousands of people around the world through its community regeneration projects.

Its textiles education programmes work to train the next generation of young craftspeople in heritage and endangered skills but it also focuses on sustainability, farming and agriculture, health and wellbeing, and architecture and urbanism.

The foundation’s headquarters are at Dumfries House, which was saved for the nation in 2007 by a consortium led by Charles as the Prince of Wales.

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to begin celebrations for our 35th anniversary today at Dumfries House, which is not only our headquarters but very much the heart of The King’s Foundation.”

“Our early work at the Institute for Architecture formed the basis of the expanding and expansive work which is epitomised at Dumfries House today, so it is only fitting to celebrate this milestone on site with His Majesty The King and our students, alumni, staff and ambassadors.

“We are so proud of what The King’s Foundation has achieved over the past 35 years.

“I hope those uncovering the time capsule in 2125 will recognise the positive impact both the King and his foundation have had on the world and its communities.”

An amalgamation of Charles’s charities in the year he turned 70 created The Prince’s Foundation in 2018, which was renamed The King’s Foundation in 2023 to reflect his accession to the throne.

The change gave something of a fresh start to the foundation in the wake of the cash-for-honours allegations surrounding its former chief executive Michael Fawcett – once Charles’s valet and his most trusted aide.

An inquiry by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator this month revealed that Mr Fawcett, who resigned in 2021, exposed Charles’s charity to “substantial risk” over his failure to insure a loaned multi-million pound art collection, but his actions did not amount to misconduct.

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the cash-for-honours claims that Mr Fawcett promised to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz – a donor to the charity.

But the force announced in 2023 that detectives would be taking no further action.