Page 663 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

orchestra less regularly, perhaps “half a dozen times” in total, and largely on
important occasions such as the orchestra’s 150th anniversary.

The royal family says on its website that the practice dates to the 1700s, when George
II became patron of the Society of Antiquaries. Now, the royal family gets hundreds
of requests a year from groups wanting a patron to help elevate their image.

Royals often become patrons of cultural institutions when the area interests them.
Princess Margaret, the queen’s sister who died in 2002, had a great love of dance and
was the Royal Ballet’s first president, a role similar to that of a patron but with more
regular engagements.

Camilla, the queen consort, also has cultural roles. In March, when the queen was
cutting back on her official positions for health reasons, Camilla took over as patron
of the National Theater in London. And Catherine, the new Princess of Wales,
is patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. She has often been
photographed on tours of its exhibitions.

Does “royal” in an institution’s name mean it has a royal patron?

No. Many theaters have had “royal” in their name since the early 18th century, when
the British government decided that only those with a license, known as a royal
patent, could legitimately stage performances, said Brianna Robertson-Kirkland, a
musicologist at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland who has studied the history of
theater. The Theater Royal Plymouth and Newcastle Theater Royal are two examples
of “royal” theaters with no royal patrons.

Others, like the Royal Ballet or the Royal Shakespeare Company, had the word
“royal” bestowed on them when they were granted a royal charter, recognition of the
institutions’ importance, Robertson-Kirkland added. Before getting its charter in
1956, the Royal Ballet was known as Sadler’s Wells Ballet.

Does a royal patron help raise money?

Royal patronage doesn’t come with any money from the royal family, but having a
royal patron, or a “royal” title, “certainly does help with fund-raising” and touring
opportunities abroad, Eakin, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic chief, said. The
queen’s patronage did not give the orchestra any opportunity to use Buckingham
Palace for fund-raising events, he said, but he noted that he had been invited to the
queen’s funeral next week.

Hammond said that she was unaware of any academic study proving that having a
royal patron helped with fund-raising. “But,” she added, “intuitively, it would.”

Are there any risks to having a royal patron?

Hammond said that there were pitfalls with any patron, royal or not. When Charles
and Diana divorced in 1996, institutions had to decide whether they were still
suitable patrons, she said. More recently, Prince Andrew was seen as a potential risk
because of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious sex offender, and because he was