BRIGHTON & HOVE.- Brighton & Hove Museums announced that His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester has taken over as patron of the charity.

The previous patron was the former Prince of Wales but he stepped down when he became King in 2022. The Duke of Gloucester is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin and a full-time working member of the Royal Family. He attends national and international events in support of The King and his duties as Head of State, as well as undertaking extensive public duties and engagements every year reflecting his own interests and charities.

The CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums, Hedley Swain and the Chair of the Trustees Michael Bedingfield met The Duke in the summer at Kensington Palace to make arrangements for a visit to Brighton & Hove in 2025.

CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums Hedley Swain said: “It was lovely to be informed by Buckingham Palace that The Duke would take on the role. We are thrilled he is giving our charity his support.

“The Duke has a background in heritage and architecture and is associated with several other charities in the sector. We look forward to welcoming him to the Royal Pavilion and our other venues.”

Brighton & Hove Museums is a registered charity that relies on donations, grants and admission to operate its five heritage venues which include the Royal Pavilion & Garden, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Preston Manor & Garden, Booth Museum of Natural History and Hove Museum of Creativity.

The Duke of Gloucester carries out a significant number of public duties and undertakes hundreds of official engagements in the UK and overseas each year. He is associated with over 150 charities and organisations. His patronages reflect his professional and personal interests, which include international humanitarian issues, heritage and the built environment and military veterans.

Many of The Duke’s Patronages are related to architecture and conservation, both areas in which The Duke remains deeply interested. He was elected a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1972 and he is President of the Scottish Society of the Architect-Artists. His fellowships include those of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

His Royal Highness is a supporter of several architectural preservation societies, including the Kensington Society and the Victorian Society, as well as the International Council on Monuments and Sites, UK National Committee.

The Duke is Patron or President of many charities and organisations, covering a diverse range of causes and interests, ranging from ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) to the British Association of Friends of Museums, British-Mexican Society to St Bartholomew's Hospital, and the British Homeopathic Association to the Japan Society.

The Duke of Gloucester has travelled extensively overseas in support of the organisations with which he is linked. His Royal Highness first represented the late Queen Elizabeth II overseas in 1970, at the wedding of Crown Prince Birendra of Nepal. The Duke has subsequently attended the independence celebrations of the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vanuatu.

The Duke represented Her Majesty at the Funeral of King Tupou V of Tonga in March 2012; at the Vatican for the Inauguration of Pope Francis on 19 March 2013; and in South Korea for the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice in July 2013.