Prince Harry to attend the London Marathon

Prince Harry will attend the London Marathon in his capacity as Patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust. Prince Harry will make the presentations to the winners of the mini marathon, the elite men and women and the wheelchair races. The Prince will also meet a selection of volunteers involved with the administration of the race and members of the St. John Ambulance.

The London Marathon Charitable Trust awards grants to recreational projects mainly in London. This year, the Trust has partnered with the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to support the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge – a United Kingdom-wide initiative to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by protecting 2,012 outdoor recreational spaces by 2012. The Duke of Cambridge is Patron of the Challenge in a personal tribute to The Queen to celebrate Her Majesty’s 60-year-reign.

As result of the partnership with The Foundation, The London Marathon Charitable Trust has donated £1million of funds to help protect Queen Elizabeth II Fields across all London Boroughs and provide vital improvement grants to the project. Thanks to this support, any outdoor recreational space protected in perpetuity as a Queen Elizabeth II Field in London can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 to fund a project, or support and encourage people to get involved in sport, play or recreation. Many London Boroughs are already participating in the programme, protecting spaces ranging from sports pitches to playgrounds and bicycle trails to parks. The initiative is run by the national charity Fields in Trust.

Under Prince Harry’s Patronage, the London Marathon has also awarded five Marathon places to each of the charities involved with the Princes’ Charities Forum, giving the charities and organisations an extra opportunity to raise money for their causes.