Great Bustard Group hoping to keep King Charles as Royal Patron

Charities are waiting to see if the monarch can continue supporting them

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 21st Sep 2022

With King Charles now on the throne, the charities he's supported over the years are waiting to see if they'll keep their royal patronages.

The monarch has been patron of South Wiltshire's Great Bustard Group (GBG) for many years.

He visited one of their hides at a secret location on Salisbury Plain in 2017.

The now King Charles looking out for Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain

Founder of GBG David Waters welcomed His Majesty to see the project to reintroduce the famous bird back to its native home in our county, after years of extinction:

"When we were talking, it wasn't just talking to a dignitary who'd had a briefing. The conversation that we had, you just knew that there was a lot of genuine personal interest. Some of the comments were from his own passion and vision for, particularly, rural England, and that made it absolutely super."

The new monarch with Great Bustard Group founder David Waters during a site visit in 2017

David's been consulting with Wiltshire's Lord Lieutenant about the future of their patronage, but was told it's too early in the process to confirm what will happen.

He wonders whether the patronage will shift to his son, as the new Prince of Wales:

"I did have the opportunity to talk to Prince William earlier this year. Both King Charles and Prince William, they've got a tremendous interest in the countryside and conservation, Prince William was very well informed about the bustard project."

David met Prince William after receiving an MBE in the New Year's Honours list in 2021.

The GBG has been working on Salisbury Plain for decades to bring Wiltshire's county bird back to successfully breed here.

He says having royal backing is so important to them:

"When you're asking people for either financial support or any other support, for that (royal patronage) to be recognised, it's a wonderful feeling. There's no doubt that the royal patronage has been something of a boost for the organisation, it really has been helpful."

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