The Royal Family attends to patronages of a large number of organisations and associations, which span a wide range of areas such as education, business, culture, sport, sustainability and social purposes. 

In connection with the succession of the throne on 14 January, The Royal House of Denmark announced that all the patronages of HM The King, HM The Queen and HM Queen Margrethe were suspended. The Royal Family has now decided which of the patronages will be continued, the distribution of the patronages and the conferment of new patronages. 

At the same time, the succession of the throne has been used as an occasion to make decisions about the patronages that hitherto have been undertaken by HRH Prince Joachim, HRH Princess Marie and HRH Princess Benedikte. An assessment has thus been made of all royal patronages, which up to the succession of the throne had totalled 258.

Henceforward, the number of patronages totals 140 for the members of The Royal Family. The selection of royal patronages has been based on historical relationships as well as on the special focus areas and interests of the royal family. The total number of patronages has been adjusted based on consideration of The Royal Family's other duties so that the members of The Royal Family have the opportunity to involve themselves in the selected patronages.  

 “Throughout the centuries, The Royal House of Denmark’s patronages have supported the important work of non-profit organisations in Denmark, the Realm and beyond. It is a tradition we are very proud to continue, and one which we, as a family, hope to further strengthen and develop.
 
Through our royal patronages, we wish to support efforts which promote Danish culture, science and enterprise, protect our nature, and give a voice for the marginalized and vulnerable in our society. This longstanding tradition serves to bring us together in small and large communities”, state The King and The Queen.

From now on, royal patronages will be time-limited and exist for five years, after which the organisation or association concerned can apply for an extension. The time limitation means that there will be continuous opportunity for The Royal Family to take on new patronages as society develops. 

The list of patronages reflects a number of focus areas, but it is far from a complete overview of The Royal Family’s involvement and areas of interest.
The majority of The Royal Family’s 4-500 annual official programme items consists of visits to institutions, organisations, companies and authorities that are not a part of the patronage portfolio. This also means that the 116 patronages which are not being continued, in line with other organisations and associations, can continue to be considered for royal participation in relevant arrangements and activities.

Information about new and continuing patronages follows below. 

HM The King
The King becomes the patron of North Atlantic House in Odense and Projekt Koltur on the Faroe Islands, both of which have the objective of promoting knowledge of the Realm’s culture and nature, as well as of The Danish Architecture Center, The Brain Prize and The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, which each in their own way focus on Danish design, science and culture in an international context. The King is expanding his involvement in the green agenda as patron of The Copenhagen Climate Ministerial. 

In addition to this, The King assumes 14 patronages from Queen Margrethe, of which a number of the organisations have a historical connection with The Royal House of Denmark. This concerns, among others, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, The Danish Bible Society, The Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF), The Greenlandic House, The Royal Danish Geographical Society, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, The NORDEN Association and Foreningen til lærlinges uddannelse, an organisation focused on education of apprentices. 

In addition, The King retains eight of his previous patronages, including The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir, State of Green and The Danish Red Cross. 

HM The Queen
The Queen assumes new patronages for the organisations Danish Hospital Clowns and WeShelter, which focuses on particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and for Independent Research Fund Denmark, which has the objective of developing and strengthening the quality of Danish research. In addition, The Queen continues her involvement in nature conservation as UNEP Patron of Biodiversity and The Danish Nature Fund. 

From Queen Margrethe, The Queen assumes the patronages of The Royal Danish Academy of Music, The Danish Cancer Society and of Diakonissestiftelsen, a healthcare organisation established in 1863 by Queen Louise.

In addition, The Queen continues 16 of her previous patronages, including The Danish Mental Health Fund, The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and WWF Denmark.  

HM Queen Margrethe
Queen Margrethe retains 20 of the 81 patronages that Her Majesty attended to until the succession of the throne. The continuing patronages are primarily organisations and institutions within art, history and archaeology. 

HRH Prince Joachim
Prince Joachim carries on with 25 of his current patronages. For many years, The Prince has had a special focus on cultural heritage, South Jutland and the defence, the latter a natural extension of His Royal Highness’s military training and current position as defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C. 

Among The Prince’s continuing patronages are CARE Danmark, The Danish Veteran Association and Veteran Support, Europa Nostra Danmark and The Diabetes Association. 

HRH Princess Marie
Princess Marie has agreed to become the patron of Prince Henrik School and of the organisation Stop Wasting Food. The two new patronages are an extension of The Princess’s many years of involvement in promoting Danish-French cultural relations and in the agenda against food waste. In connection with the latter, The Princess also assumes the patronage of The National Culinary Team of Denmark from Prince Joachim. 

In addition to this, The King’s patronage of The Danish Dyslexia Association as well as The Queen’s patronage of Hjernesagen, an organisation for people affected by brain injuries, are transferred to The Princess, who has already focused on persons living with a hidden disability through the patronages of Autism Denmark and The Danish Epilepsy Association.

The Princess also continues as the patron of 13 of her current patronages. 

HRH Princess Benedikte
Princess Benedikte continues her involvement in, especially, equestrian sport, the scouting movement and the world of parasports as patron of 25 of her current patronages. Among The Princess’s continuing patronages are The Danish Scout Corps, Parasport Danmark, and The Danish Equestrian Federation.

Lene Balleby
Director of Communications