His Majesty King Charles III has become the new patron of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), it has been announced.
The news marks the first anniversary of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and has been welcomed by the RPS which said it was ‘grateful to the Royal family for their ongoing support’.
The late Queen had been patron of the RPS from 1953 until her death in 2022. Her father, George VI, was also patron of the RPS from 1937-52.
Commenting on the announcement, RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said: ‘We are hugely proud that His Majesty the King has chosen to be our patron, following in the footsteps of the late Queen and her father, George VI.
‘We are grateful to the Royal Family for their ongoing support.’
RPS chief executive Paul Bennett added: ‘It is an honour to have His Majesty the King as our new royal patron.
‘We look forward to continuing our work to highlight the vital contribution pharmacy teams make to patient care across Great Britain with the patronage of His Majesty.’
Buckingham Palace confirmed the news as part of its thorough analysis of over 1,000 Patronages of The late Queen, The former Prince of Wales and The former Duchess of Cornwall, which has been taking place since His Majesty The King’s Accession in September 2022.
As part of the conclusion of the analysis, the Royal College of GPs, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Nursing also announced His Majesty King Charles III as their new royal patron.
The Royal Society of Medicine, University College Hospital and the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine were also among the healthcare organisations selected, as well as Cancer Research UK.
His Majesty The King also retained his patronage of the British Orthopaedic Association and the charity Combat Stress.
A version of this story was originally published by our sister publication The Pharmacist.
