Reflecting on WWT’s Royal connections this coronation weekend
This weekend we are joining the rest of the country in celebrating the coronation of our patron, His Royal Highness the former Prince of Wales, who has campaigned for decades to protect wetlands and their wildlife.
HRH has met with many of our staff, volunteers and visitors at WWT sites over the years in his capacity as our patron and has helped us to campaign for a world where wetland nature thrives and benefits lives.
As we celebrate his coronation this weekend our sites remain open to visitors and we will be showcasing the work of our many brilliant volunteers on 8 July as part of The Big Help Out.
From a young age HRH, the former Prince of Wales joined his mother on several visits to WWT sites, taking time to feed the Nenes and explore the site with his parents.
A long-time campaigner for conservation and the environment, HRH took over as patron of the WWT from HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2016, cutting the Trust’s 70th birthday cake that year.
He also officially opened the home of WWT’s founder Sir Peter Scott to the public in 2022, having met Sir Peter when he was a young Prince, and joined the first meeting of the Blue Recovery Leaders Group, a collection of purpose-minded businesses brought together by WWT to help make the goal of bigger, better wetlands a reality in the UK.
WWT has now benefited from royal support for more than 70 years, starting with HM Queen Elizabeth, who visited our founding site WWT Slimbridge in 1950 and agreed to adopt a Bewick’s swan to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Inspired to join us this coronation weekend?
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