RMetS - General

HRH The Prince of Wales extends Patronage of the Royal Meteorological Society

9 December 2021

We are honoured to announce that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has agreed to extend his patronage for a further term. His Royal Highness has been a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) since 1983 and became our Patron in 2002. In 2007 he was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Society, recognising his outstanding environmental leadership sustained over many years. Honorary Fellowship of the Society is a signal honour bestowed by the RMetS Council at their discretion on distinguished members of the profession.

RMetS Chief Executive Prof. Liz Bentley comments:

"As a passionate and long-standing champion of environmental causes, I am delighted that The Prince of Wales has accepted our invitation to extend his patronage. The Royal Meteorological Society is the UK's Professional and Learned Society for weather and climate, working to advance and strengthen the science of meteorology. As climate change has become more evident in our everyday lives, we also raise awareness of the importance of looking after our planet. We are passionate about supporting younger generations, as well as supporting meteorological professionals and inspiring enthusiasts."

Originally the British Meteorological Society, then The Meteorological Society, RMetS received its current name in 1883 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria granted the privilege of adding 'Royal' to the title.

Royal Patronage has been enjoyed since 1904. It has passed through the generations from The Prince of Wales (later King George V), King Edward VIII, King George VI, the present Queen and back to The Prince of Wales (HRH Prince Charles) in 2002.

In October 2008, The Prince of Wales gave an interview to the RMetS Weather journal for the feature 'Weather in my life', in which he gave very informed views about the issues of climate change and sustainability. The Prince's comments are still relevant to today's conversations, 13 years later.

In 2017, HRH co-authored The Ladybird Book on Climate Change with Dr Tony Juniper CBE and Dr Emily Shuckburgh OBE FRMetS. This popular book was organised and peer-reviewed by the Royal Meteorological Society.