We are delighted to announce that The Duchess of Cornwall will be the new Patron of the Royal School of Needlework.

At the end of 2016, Buckingham Palace announced that Her Majesty The Queen would be stepping down as Patron from a number of charities, including the RSN. The Queen became Patron of the RSN in 2002.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams, Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework said:

“We are extremely grateful to Her Majesty for her support and would like to say a huge thank you for being our Patron. The Royal Family has supported us from the beginning and we are delighted to continue this relationship with The Duchess of Cornwall as our new Patron. We very much look forward to working with The Duchess.  Her Royal Highness’s support will be invaluable in raising awareness of hand embroidery as both a traditional and dynamic contemporary art form.”

The RSN has had royal support from its foundation in 1872 through Queen Victoria’s third daughter, Princess Helena, and received its Royal status in 1875 when Queen Victoria became Patron.  The Queen Mother was initially President and then in 1937 became our Patron. When she died, Her Majesty the Queen became Patron. The Duchess of Gloucester is President of the RSN.

The RSN has worked on every British Coronation of the 20th century including designing and making the Robe of State for Her Majesty the Queen in 1953 using 18 varieties of gold thread. We also created the balcony hanging at Buckingham Palace for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.