Buckingham Palace has this week announced that His Majesty The King will retain patronage of the Royal Opera House and The Royal Opera.
In the announcement marking the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation, it was also announced that His Majesty will also take on his late mother’s long-standing patronage of The Royal Ballet.
Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, Alex Beard, said:
“We are deeply honoured and absolutely delighted that His Majesty King Charles III has agreed to retain his patronage of the Royal Opera House. For more than six decades, we have benefitted from the dedicated support of the Royal Family, and we are extremely grateful to His Majesty for continuing to recognise the work we do to bring world-class ballet and opera to audiences across the country and around the globe. We offer our warmest congratulations to Their Majesties on the first anniversary of their coronation.”
Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, said:
“We’re absolutely thrilled that His Majesty King Charles III has agreed to accept the Patronage of The Royal Ballet. His regular visits to watch our productions over recent years have been a great honour for the Company. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a deeply committed patron of The Royal Ballet and we’re delighted that His Majesty the King will continue this support.”
Director of The Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, said:
“It’s a huge honour that His Majesty The King has agreed to retain his patronage of The Royal Opera. Opera has a rich history and exciting future, and we’re delighted that His Majesty will continue his generous support to our world-class company.”
The Royal Opera House has had a long and proud history with the British Royal Family. The Royal Ballet was awarded its Royal Charter in 1956, and The Royal Opera in 1968.
Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became Patron of The Royal Ballet in 1956, while the former Prince of Wales became patron of The Royal Opera and Royal Opera House in 1975 and 2009, respectively.
Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla last visited the Royal Opera House for a special performance of Don Quixote in November last year. The performance gathered more than 600 NHS staff, teachers and members of the Royal Opera House’s Songs for Ukraine Chorus for a celebration of the audience’s achievements.
With this news, His Majesty The King will now be Royal Patron of the Royal Opera House, The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera.