Charity pays tribute to The Duke of Sussex
The London Marathon Charitable Trust (now the London Marathon Foundation) pays tribute to The Duke of Sussex for his unstinting support during his time as Patron of the charity.
The Duke spent nine years as Patron of the charity, from January 2012 to January 2021.
Sir Rodney Walker, Chair of The London Marathon Charitable Trust (now the London Marathon Foundation), said: “The Duke of Sussex has been a wonderful Patron since 2012 and we are immensely grateful for his unstinting support and interest in our work over the past nine years. Everyone at The Trust and the wider London Marathon family sends our best wishes and thanks to The Duke for all that he has done for us.”
During his time as Patron, The Duke played an active role in the work of the charity and was a regular presence at the London Marathon, presenting prizes to the winners of both the elite races and the mini marathon races as well as meeting mass runners, volunteers and staff.
In 2017, the Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign was appointed the London Marathon’s Charity of the Year – spearheaded by the Duke alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The campaign’s objective was to raise awareness of mental health and the Duke played a huge role, including attending training days for Heads Together runners and opening the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon Running Show. Memorably, he was also one of the official starters of the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and appeared at various points along the route to cheer the runners on.
Heads Together raised £4 million in 2017 – the most by any Charity of the Year – and succeeded in its objective to change the conversation on mental health.
In his final year as Patron, The Duke of Sussex helped celebrate the historic 40th Race in London Marathon history by providing a video message for all runners and meeting runners in Los Angeles who were taking on the first ever virtual Virgin Money London Marathon.
Note: Updated in March 2023 with references to the London Marathon Foundation’s new name.