New study finds charities saw no decline — and some even improved — after Duke’s exit
Prince Andrew has yet faced another public setback, as a new report reveals that his removal from dozens of charity patronages had little to no impact on their financial performance.
The Duke of York was stripped of 64 royal patronages in 2019 after his controversial Newsnight interview and growing public scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. At the time, there were concerns that the charities he supported might struggle without the visibility of a royal figure.
However, a new investigation by philanthropic research group Giving Evidence suggests otherwise.
The study, titled Prince Andrew’s Charity Patronages: Analysis of the Effects on the Charities, examined the revenue of 35 of the affected organizations both before and after Andrew’s exit. The findings were striking: nearly half of the charities saw financial improvement following his departure, while the others experienced no significant drop in income.
The researchers concluded that Andrew’s role brought “neglectable” benefit to the charities’ fundraising efforts.
“We found no evidence that Prince Andrew’s patronage of charities helped the charities in terms of revenue: there was no discernible decline in their revenue when his patronage ended,” the report stated.
By comparing the results to other similar charities over the same period, the study also raised broader questions about the true effectiveness of royal patronage in generating funds and support.
For Prince Andrew, the report deals another reputational blow — not only to his standing within the royal family, but to the legacy of his public service, which now appears to have had far less impact than once believed.
