The Princess Royal hosts Charities Forum at Buckingham Palace

The Princess convened the Charities Forum in the Palace for approximately 200 people, drawn from more than 100 of over 300 charities and organisations she currently supports.

The forum aimed to discuss key topics such as challenges facing the sector, public trust in charities and the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies.

The Princess took to the podium after hearing from three charity leaders: Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund, who spoke about public trust in charities; David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charity Commission, who spoke about the financial challenges faced by charities; and Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital, who spoke about the opportunities and challenges raised by technology.

The Princess Royal said:

The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organisations, the people who work for you and your own beneficiaries, is perhaps the key to what makes you so important. Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do.

Amongst charities were nine organisations of which The Princess Royal has become Patron in the last year, including Friends of the Elderly and Naval Children’s Charity.

Also in attendance were two of Her Royal Highness's most longstanding patronages: Save the Children, of which she became President in 1970. Now serving as Patron, Save the Children UK was the first major charity with which Her Royal Highness became closely associated. 

It has given great insight into the needs of children worldwide and an understanding of the issues affecting developing countries. In her work for the organisation, The Princess has visited Save the Children projects in many countries, including China, Cambodia, Botswana, Madagascar and The Philippines.

Another longstanding charity, Riding for the Disabled, of which The Princess became Patron in 1971, was in attendance. Through fun activities like riding and carriage driving, the RDA provide therapy, fitness, skills development and opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. Founded in 1969, the charity currently has 18,000 qualified coaches and trained volunteers who work with over 25,000 disabled children and adults across 500 UK centres.