Prince Andrew has been left humiliated after a new report revealed that several of the charities he once supported saw an increase in profits following his departure as royal patron. The Duke of York, who stepped down as a senior royal in 2019 after his controversial interview with BBC’s Emily Maitlis, was previously patron of 64 charities.
The interview, in which he discussed his alleged association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, led to Andrew stepping down from his royal duties. Now, a study by the philanthropic analysis organization Giving Evidence has found that his exit from these roles has had little to no negative effect on the charities, and in fact, many saw a rise in revenue after his departure.
The study, Prince Andrew’s Charity Patronages: Analysis of the Effects on the Charities, was conducted by Caroline Fiennes, founder of Giving Evidence, and Dr. Clemens Jarnach, a data scientist and political sociologist. The analysis focused on the financial change in the revenue of the Duke’s patronized charities before and after he stepped down. It looked at the accounts of 35 organizations that Prince Andrew had supported.
The findings were striking. According to the report, half of the charities experienced a rise in profits following Andrew’s departure. “We find no evidence that Prince Andrew’s patronage of charities helped the charities in terms of revenue: there was no discernible decline in their revenue when his patronage ended,” the study concluded.
The report also stated, “There was no convincing evidence that Prince Andrew’s patronage increased charities’ revenue” and emphasized that charities seeking royal patronage may not see a significant financial benefit. It added, “Charities which want revenue may be wasting their time in seeking, securing and/or servicing a royal patron.”
One example of success is Children North East, which saw its revenue grow by 56%. Other organizations, such as Yorkshire Air Ambulance, increased their revenue by 47%, and the Fly Navy Heritage Trust experienced a staggering 346% increase. On the other hand, some organizations like City Gateway and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation saw significant revenue drops of 68%, reports The Times.
Caroline Fiennes explained: “We investigated whether anything happened to the revenue of his patronage charities before and after the patronage ended, which did not also happen to all other charities… It didn’t.”
The report’s findings further diminish the legacy of Prince Andrew’s royal patronages, casting doubt on the influence of his involvement in these organizations. With several of the charities now thriving without his support, it raises questions about the true value of royal patronage.