The Queen visiting Battersea Dogs and Cats in 2015.

Patronage of 25 charities will end after 90th birthday year
 
Buckingham Palace has announced that Her Majesty the Queen will step down as patron of a number of charities, including the Animal Health Trust (AHT), Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

The Queen is currently patron of more than 600 organisations, but following her 90th birthday earlier in 2016 she will end her patronage of 25 charities at the end of the year. Other members of the royal family will take over these patronages in the coming months.

Her Majesty follows in the footsteps of the Duke of Edinburgh, who resigned from a number of his patronages after his 90th birthday in 2011.

Battersea's chief executive, Claire Horton, said the charity feels "immensely honoured" to have enjoyed six decades of the Queen's patronage.

"The Queen has a very special place in the hearts of all our staff and volunteers, many of whom have been lucky enough to have met Her Majesty on one of her visits to our centres," she added. "We know that Her Majesty takes a keen and active interest in every cause she supports, and we feel so very fortunate to have had such a lasting, treasured relationship with our much loved and respected Monarch.

"Thank you from all our dogs and cats, Ma’am, you’ve helped ensure our vital work and our contribution to society is fully recognised on the world stage."

WWT also thanked the Queen for her longstanding support and welcomed the news that His Royal Highness Prince Charles - the trust's president - is set to take over her patronage.

Chief executive Martin Spray CBE commented: "We have been very fortunate to benefit from Her Majesty’s patronage for many decades. Her relationship with us began before her coronation when she visited our headquarters at Slimbridge. She has since made many happy visits to our wetland centres around the country, which has helped those wetland centres to become such a success."

Image © Battersea Dogs and Cats Home