Realising His Majesty King Charles III's vision of creating communities for a more sustainable world
The King's Foundation provides holistic solutions to challenges facing the world today. We champion a sustainable approach to how we live our lives and build our communities, we run a diverse programme of education and training for all ages and backgrounds, and we regenerate and care for places where communities thrive and that visitors enjoy.
We work nationally and internationally but at the heart of our organisation is the heritage-led regeneration of the Dumfries House estate and its wider community, where our principles and philosophies are explored and put into practice.
The work of The King's Foundation is inspired by The King's philosophy of harmony: that by understanding the balance, the order and the relationships between ourselves and the natural world we can create a more sustainable future.
For more than 40 years His Majesty has been at the forefront of championing sustainability. During the last decade the impact of natural resource depletion, climate change and rapid urbanisation has become evident and widely understood. The work of The King's Foundation is inspired by the belief that only by taking a holistic view can we create a sustainable future to meet the needs of our world.
The King's Foundation (previously known as The Prince's Foundation) was created through the merger, in 2018, of The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust and The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.
What we do
Education
The King's Foundation offers a diverse range of innovative and inspiring education and training programmes for all ages and backgrounds, from traditional arts and heritage craft skills, to architecture and design, science, engineering, horticulture, wellbeing and hospitality. Programmes take place within and beyond the charity’s sites, both nationally and internationally.
With a consistency of vision, developed over the last 40 years, The King's Foundation brings together pioneering ideas and thought-leaders from around the world. It provides leadership and develops new ideas.
Practice
Working with communities and partners around the country and the world, The King's Foundation practises and champions a sustainable approach to how we live our lives and build our communities. From heritage-led regeneration through to new build projects, we do this through assisting, advising and taking the lead.
Places
Whether coming to Dumfries House, enjoying one of our exhibitions in London, or visiting a building or community around the world that we have helped to transform, our places, their history and their stories are open to all and demonstrate how our principles and philosophies can be put into practice.
CONTACT
headquarters
Dumfries House, Cumnock, KA18 2NJ, 01290 425959
london
19–22 Charlotte Road, London EC2A 3SG, 020 7613 8500, enquiries@princes-foundation.org
TRUSTEES
Dame Susan Bruce
(Chair from 15 September 2021), 1 April 2018 – present
Susan Bruce is a former public servant who during her career focussed on education and social and economic regeneration. She held the posts of Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh, Aberdeen City and East Dunbartonshire Councils. Sue holds a portfolio of non-executive and trustee roles including Chair of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Convener of Court at the University of Strathclyde and Electoral Commissioner for Scotland. She is also a Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh and a member of the Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh. Sue holds degrees of M.Phil and LLB from the University of Strathclyde. Sue is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the RSA.
Dame Ann Limb
(Deputy Chair), 21 June 2021 – present
Dame Ann Limb is a former Further Education College Principal and senior civil servant. Since 2005, she has held Chair and NED roles in business, economic development, housing, and regeneration. Dame Ann is currently Chair of the Innovation Corridor, UK’s globally significant life sciences cluster and holds several national charity chair positions at City & Guilds, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and the Lifelong Education Institute. In 1998, she founded the social mobility charity, the Helena Kennedy Foundation. A linguist by background, feminist through experience, and Quaker by convincement. Dame Ann’s passionate belief in the power of art, creativity, education, imagination, and faith to transform individuals and communities is based on her own life’s journey, from her early years in a butcher’s shop in 1950’s Moss Side to serving as Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire 2023-4.
Mr George Richards
15 September 2018 – present
George Richards is the Director of Community Jameel, an independent, global organisation advancing science and learning for communities to thrive. An Arabist specialising in the archeoastronomy of pre-Islamic Arabia, George has undertaken field expeditions to document cultural heritage on behalf of the British Library and the British Institute for the Study of Iraq. He has served as the special rapporteur for cultural heritage to the Kurdistan Regional Government; a specialist assessor to the British government's Cultural Protection Fund; and a senior fellow at the Iraqi government's cultural heritage commission, Iraq Heritage. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
Mrs Rosemary Hilary
21 June 2021 – present
Rosemary Hilary is an experienced non-executive director and risk professional. Her other board roles are at St James’s Place where she chairs the Risk Committee; Vitality Life and Health where she chairs the Risk Committee; at Willis Ltd where she chairs the Audit Committee and at Scottish Building Society. She is on the MBA Advisory Board of Bayes (formerly known as Cass) Business School. Previous NED roles include the Pension Protection Fund, Record Currency Management and the homelessness charity Shelter. Rosemary’s executive career was largely in banking and regulation. She was Chief Internal Auditor - an Executive Committee role - at TSB Bank from 2013 to 2016 where she was part of the team that managed the IPO. Prior to that she held a number of senior positions at the Financial Conduct Authority, its predecessor the Financial Services Authority and at the Bank of England. Rosemary is a Chartered Certified Accountant – FCCA, and she gained a first-class honours degree in Mathematics and European Studies from Manchester University.
Mr Michael Jary
21 June 2021 – present
Michael Jary co-founded OC&C Strategy Consultants in 1987 and served as Global Managing Partner until 2011: during this time the firm grew to 600 consultants across 12 offices worldwide. He is now a Senior Adviser at OC&C, working with CEOs and boards on corporate strategy. He holds a portfolio of board and trustee positions. He is a Non-Executive Director of Barclays Bank UK plc. He is Chair of Itad, a data and insight company in international development. He is the Lead Non-Executive director for the UK Government. He chairs Duchy Originals, the UK’s largest organic food brand which was established by HM The King. Prior to its transfer to The Prince’s Foundation, he also chaired AG Carrick Limited which is the holding company for garden tours and retail activities at Highgrove House. He is a trustee of Opera Holland Park. And he was formerly chair of Fairtrade Foundation. Michael holds an MA from Oxford University, an MBA from INSEAD and a post-graduate diploma from SOAS.
Cavaliere Federico Marchetti
21 June 2021 – present
Federico Marchetti is a tech entrepreneur and a sustainability pioneer: he founded YOOX - the world’s first lifestyle e-commerce destination - in 2000 and in 2015, he drove the game-changing merger of YOOX and NET- A-PORTER to create the world leader in online luxury fashion, which was acquired by Richemont in 2018. Notably Federico has brought his entrepreneurial spirit to the heart of his social and environmental initiatives, significantly advancing sustainable and socially responsible fashion. He launched an area to promote sustainable fashion in 2009 and he also developed a customer experience to embrace circular models. He remains convinced that the intelligent use of technology can help us save the planet. In 2017 Federico was recognized by the President of the Italian Republic who knighted him as a Cavaliere. In 2019 Federico was honoured with the amfAR Award of Courage, recognizing “his profound commitment to important issues”. Federico is Chair of His Royal Highness’s Sustainable Markets Initiative Task Force on Fashion and a Board Member of Giorgio Armani, GEDI and AG Carrick, The Prince’s Foundation’s trading subsidiary responsible for the Highgrove visitor attraction and shop on the estate in Gloucestershire.
Ms Sarah de Gay
12 October 2021 – present
Sarah de Gay joined international law firm Slaughter and May in 1996, as a Corporate/M&A lawyer, and established its Compliance Department in 2008. She was appointed as Slaughter and May’s first General Counsel in 2015. Sarah stepped down as Slaughter and May’s General Counsel at the end of 2019 to focus on a portfolio of roles connected with values, standards and ethics. She is currently a Visiting Professor of UCL’s Faculty of Laws, an Independent Lay Member of the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, an Independent Member of ACOBA, Chair of the Advisory Board of Wallbrook (a strategic intelligence firm) and Senior Warden of the City of London Solicitors’ Company. She also continues to advise Slaughter and May on certain regulatory matters as a Special Advisor.
Mr Ewan Venters
15 March 2022 – present
Ewan Venters is Chief Executive Officer of international art gallery Hauser & Wirth, which was founded in Zurich in 1992 by Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth and Ursula Hauser and represents over 80 leading artists and artists' estates. An established business leader with a proven track record, Ewan oversees the strategic evolution of the gallery and leads its global team across outposts in Hong Kong, London, New York, Los Angeles, Somerset, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Southampton (NY), Menorca, and Monaco. Hauser & Wirth have several hospitality interests overseen by Ewan, including the award-winning Fife Arms Hotel on Royal Deeside. Ewan previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Fortnum & Mason from 2012 to 2020. Under Ewan’s leadership, Fortnum’s made record sales and profits, and expanded beyond their historic London home into new locations including Hong Kong, Dubai, Heathrow Airport and St Pancras Station in London. He joined Fortnum & Mason from Selfridges, where he was executive director for food, restaurants and online. In his seven years at Selfridges, Ewan was part of an executive team which transformed the department store. Twice in that period, it was named Best Department Store in the World by its peers.
Mr Alexander Manson
11 July 2022 – present
Alexander (Sandy) Manson trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen in Edinburgh in 1985 and in 1991 joined Johnston Carmichael Chartered Accountants as an Associate. He was promoted to Partner in 1993 and became the Managing Partner of their Aberdeen office. In 2007 he was appointed Chief Executive of Johnston Carmichael and Chair in 2019. Sandy retired from Johnston Carmichael on 31 May 2022 following which he has built a NXD portfolio. Sandy was appointed a member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) in 2011 and elected President 2018/19. In 2020, he was appointed by Her Late Majesty The Queen as Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. He is also Chair of Salvesen Mindroom Centre, a charity specialising in supporting young people with neurodiversity challenges, and is an Honorary Professor of the University of Stirling where he sits on the advisory board of the management school. He is also the former Honorary Dutch Consul for the North of Scotland and Chair of the Development Trust for the University of Aberdeen.
Mr Folarin Oyeleye
5 December 2022 – present
Folarin Oyeleye is a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and works within their wealth management division in the United Kingdom. Folarin joined the firm in 2006. Folarin is a graduate of University of Surrey and holds a BEng (Hons) in Electronic Engineering. Folarin was raised in Nigeria prior to continuing his education in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Mr Julian Payne
1 April 2023 – Present
Julian Payne is Chair of Corporate Affairs for Edelman EMEA and a Trustee of The Prince’s Foundation. Prior to this Julian worked for five years with the British Royal Family as Communications Secretary to Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (now King Charles III and Queen Consort). Previously, Julian held a series of global roles specialising in Corporate, Brand and Digital communications for the BBC, where he was Director of Communications, and Burberry where he held the post of VP Global PR and Corporate Affairs.
ACCOUNTS AND ANNUAL REPORTS
Charity Number SC038770
Company Number SC331738
The King’s Foundation is a registered Charity in Scotland. Please use link below to access the Scottish Charity Regulator website.
See annual reports here.
WEDDINGS AND EVENTS
For more information on hosting a wedding, function or event with The Prince's Foundation please see here
FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
For more information on filming and photography at Prince's Foundation properties please see here