Focus
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall - Supporting people with cancer
14th February 2011
Through their charitable work, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have both demonstrated their own commitment to supporting people with cancer.The Prince of Wales
His Royal Highness is Patron of a number of charities that work to support people who have been affected by cancer, including Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Walk the Walk, Breast Cancer Haven, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, and Penny Brohn Cancer Care.
Taking a keen interest in the research and fundraising initiatives being carried out by these organisations, The Prince opens or visits new research and treatment centres and projects when he can.
In particular, over the past decade, His Royal Highness has focused on supporting charities that work to research and target breast cancer.
Furthermore, The Prince of Wales has been a catalyst for raising the profile of integrated health approaches through bringing together a wide array of healthcare professionals and organisations.
One of the charities The Prince supports as Patron is The Haven, which is a series of breast cancer support centres. The Haven has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and to mark the occasion, The Prince held a reception at Clarence House in November 2010, meeting with a number of people who have been supported by the charity and celebrity supporters such as Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh, who opened The Haven’s newest centre in Leeds in 2008.
The Prince also became Patron of breast cancer charity Walk the Walk in 2005. Founded by the dynamic Nina Barough, who has herself recovered from breast cancer, the charity organises walks for women to raise money to beat the disease. In the past 10 years, the charity has raised an amazing £67 million for those affected.
In 1998, The Prince became Patron of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, a charity committed to ensuring access to improvements in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment and in 1999, His Royal Highness called for more effort in battling the disease in a newspaper article. He said:
"The statistics illustrate the bleak truth - that we cannot afford to be complacent, in this and many other areas of cancer.
"I believe the widespread effects of cancer on all of us can only highlight the importance of work continuing on all fronts - research, diagnosis, treatment and care of those with cancer.
"It is crucial that more effort is now ploughed into laboratory research which is the foundation for clinical work to improve treatment of breast cancer."
The Chief Executive of Breakthrough, Chris Askew, said The Prince’s ongoing support is hugely important: “Breakthrough is very fortunate to have the ongoing support from our Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales.
“In the 10 years since The Prince of Wales has been our Patron he has been actively involved in supporting the charity in a number of ways. Breakthrough was privileged to have The Prince open the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre, The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre. Through his continued support, researchers around the world have set up clinical trials, which means that an enormous number of cancer sufferers stand to benefit from Breakthrough’s initial discoveries, demonstrating the significance of the charity’s research on a global scale. This vital work helps many thousands of people every year who are living with the devastating effects of the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United Kingdom.
“The successes and significant discoveries made by Breakthrough would not have been possible without the continued support of The Prince of Wales and the Charity is incredibly grateful for the time and dedication he has given in helping Breakthrough achieve our vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer.”
The Duchess of Cornwall
Health and wellbeing is also very important to The Duchess of Cornwall who has made a point over the years of supporting a variety of healthcare organisations, including the National Osteoporosis Society and the Trinity Hospice. She became President of Maggie’s Cancer Care in 2008, after visiting one of the inspiring and friendly centres for supporting those affected by cancer in Edinburgh.
Earlier this year, The Duchess opened a new Maggie’s Cancer Care centre in Cheltenham, the seventh of its kind. Maggie’s provides free help and respite for people to turn to when facing problems associated with cancer. They offer people who have been diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones services in the form of helpful information, benefits advice, psychological support and stress reducing strategies.
Opening the new centre, The Duchess told guests: “May I say before I go how incredibly proud I am to be President of Maggie’s.
“It was a visit I made to the centre in Edinburgh and I saw this incredible building and I was smitten. When I was asked to be President I couldn’t really say no,” she added.
Flickr: Their Royal Highnesses: Supporting Cancer Charities
Further information:
Read more about The Prince of Wales’s charities
Read more about The Duchess of Cornwall’s charities
An article by The Prince of Wales about Bowel cancer