The Queen has stepped down as patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT).
The charity is one of 25 that the monarch is resigning from at the end of this year, according to Buckingham Palace. Others include the NSPCC, Save the Children, Barnardo's and Battersea Dog's Home.
At the end of the year of her 90th birthday celebrations, the Queen’s charitable responsibilities are being scaled down. Although she will continue to serve as patron for hundreds of organisations, some patronages will be passed on to other members of the Royal Family in coming months.
Retirement is not an option for the Queen, so instead Buckingham Palace has opted to reduce her official duties. It follows the example set by the Duke of Edinburgh who resigned from a number of patronages around his 90th birthday in 2011.
The Prince of Wales will succeed his mother as patron of HMDT, which promotes Holocaust Memorial Day. It is commemorated each year on January and 27, according to the charity, is “an opportunity for everybody to reflect on the Holocaust and the subsequent genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur”.
Her Majesty held the post for a decade after HMDT’s inception in 2005. To express its gratitude, HMDT recently presented the Queen with a memorial candle designed by Sir Anish Kapoor to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and a set of porcelain spoons created by acclaimed artist, Clare Twomey, who was inspired by the experience of a Bosnian genocide survivor.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of HMDT said: “Over the past decade Her Majesty The Queen has shown her commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and its purpose to remember the past in order to create a better future. She has given strong support for Holocaust survivors – participating in the 2005 UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day, honouring 10 survivors in recent honours lists, welcoming survivors to royal garden parties, visiting the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and honouring the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust with her patronage.”
In welcoming Prince Charles, she added: “We are honoured that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has chosen to accept our invitation to succeed The Queen as Patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides are hugely appreciative of The Royal Family's recognition of the importance of commemorating the dreadful persecution which they endured.”
Norwood is among the many charities that still retain the Queen as patron.
