King Charles accepts Sailors’ Society’s patronage

(Posted on 15/05/24)

His Royal Highness King Charles III has accepted the Patronage of Sailors‘ Society, continuing a royal tradition that goes back to Queen Victoria.

The late Queen Elizabeth II had been the Patron of the global maritime welfare charity for 70 years. She performed her first solo ceremony as Princess Elizabeth opening a new Sailors’ Society Home in Aberdeen in October 1944 and continued to support our work through her Reign, attending the open-air televised Songs of Praise that celebrated the Society's 175th anniversary.

On her death, the Palace began a review of more than 1,000 organisations and charities that had held the Patronage of Her Majesty and the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

The Palace wrote to Sailors’ Society CEO, Sara Baade, to inform her that His Majesty would be delighted to accept the Patronage of Sailors’ Society, commenting that it was “a great pleasure” to share this news with the charity to mark the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation.

Responding to the news, Sara said: “We are delighted and proud that His Majesty is our new Patron. Royal Patronage has been a truly important part of our history, and we are thrilled that it will continue to be a very special part of our future.

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was our Patron for seven decades and it meant a great deal to our supporters, beneficiaries and global teams whenever Her Majesty attended a celebratory service or wrote words of encouragement for our mission.

“We look forward to inviting His Majesty to key commemorative events, but in the meantime we hope His Majesty will accept grateful thanks on behalf of everyone at the Society and all the seafarers and their families we support across the world.”

For more than 200 years, international maritime charity Sailors’ Society has been transforming the lives of seafarers and their families. The charity works to provide practical, emotional and spiritual welfare support 24/7 to today’s 1.9 m seafarers, supporting wellbeing across every area of their lives and giving them the best opportunity to enjoy a fulfilling - and productive - career at sea.

Latest News

Greek owners to play key role in nuclear development for maritime sector

“Nuclear energy is stepping forward as a credible long-term solution” stated Christopher... Read more

Columbia leader calls on the maritime industry for alternative fuels reality check

The CEO of leading integrated maritime, logistics, energy, leisure and offshore services platform Columbia... Read more

Record numbers from Indian subcontinent for Sailors’ Society conference

More than 4000 cadets, trainees and ratings from the Indian subcontinent took part in the first of Sailors... Read more

The Swedish Club expands management team

The Swedish Club have announced that it is strengthening its management team to match the pace of its... Read more

Shipowners face Port State Control crackdown on BWTS compliance

BIO-UV Group is advising shipowners to ready themselves for extensive Port State Control inspections... Read more

CORE POWER welcomes agreement to accelerate investment in maritime decarbonisation

The U.S. and the UK have announced a bilateral collaboration to accelerate reactor licensing from three... Read more

Cobelfret accelerates digital transformation with integrated maritime platform

Cobelfret, a leading global dry bulk shipowner and operator based in Singapore, has partnered with Smart... Read more

Support grows for India’s new maritime CCTV rules

Zelim is calling on international regulators and flag states to follow India’s lead on enhancing... Read more

Ionic extends Orca AI to bulker fleet to boost safety

Athens-based Ionic controls a fleet of eight crude tankers and 11 bulkers under its respective wet and... Read more

Columbia and Pan Marine launch Egyptian JV

Columbia Group, a global leader in integrated maritime services, has announced the establishment of... Read more