King Charles to become Patron of the Royal Academy of Engineering

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King Charles has agreed to become patron of the Royal Academy of Engineering, strengthening the longstanding bond between the UK monarchy and the charity.

The announcement was made by the Academy on the 48th anniversary of its first meeting at Buckingham Palace. It was known then as the Fellowship of Engineering but acquired its Royal title in 1992.

The king’s father Prince Philip was a senior fellow of the Academy and played a “pivotal” role in its inception in 1976, the same year supersonic airliner Concorde took its first commercial flight.

Sir Jim McDonald, president of the Academy, said: “We warmly welcome his majesty’s longstanding interest in the role of engineering in society, particularly in building a more environmentally sustainable world, and we look forward to working with him to enhance the UK’s capacity to tackle national and global challenges.”

The Academy also boasts the support of Royal Fellows Princess Anne and Prince Edward, who joined the organisation in 2010 and 1986, respectively.

Princess Anne is attending the Academy’s Prince Philip Dinner this evening, in honour of her late father.

She will present the Prince Philip Medal to Arogyaswami Paulraj, a former professor of engineering at Stanford University and inventor of some of the key components that make up 4G and 5G technology.