On Thursday 16 January 2025, we received a visit from our new Royal Patron, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester. His Royal Highness has been RIBA's Patron since Spring 2024, after Buckingham Palace’s review of Royal Patronages following The King’s accession in September 2022.
A strong advocate for the built environment, His Royal Highness studied architecture and worked in practice before taking on increased royal duties.
Find out more about our Patron, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester.
On a tour of RIBA’s home at 66 Portland Place, His Royal Highness joined our Chair of Board Jack Pringle, President Muyiwa Oki, Chief Executive Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE, Director of Library and Collections Adrian Steel, and Board Member for Heritage MaryAnne Stevens.
Our Patron visited the Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds exhibition, guided by Chief Curator Emeritus Charles Hind.
On the steps up to the Florence Hall, His Royal Highness was shown the stone commemorating a 1934 visit to RIBA by his grandparents HM King George V and Queen Mary of Teck.
In the RIBA Library, His Royal Highness looked at unique objects from our vast collection, including our original Royal Charter. The visit comes on the eve of a major transformation of our 66 Portland Place building, collections, and digital technology as part of the House of Architecture programme. It is the biggest investment in RIBA in a century, with the aim of making architecture more accessible for everyone – our members, our profession, and the world.
Sharing this vision with His Royal Highness, RIBA’s Chair of Board Jack Pringle, President Muyiwa Oki, and Chief Executive Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE were pleased to highlight plans to make our building more accessible and sustainable, enhance our cultural public programme, and revolutionise our global digital offering.
Reflecting on the visit, RIBA Chief Executive Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE said:
“It was an honour to welcome our Patron, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester to our iconic 66 Portland Place building.
With his experience working in practice and lifelong enthusiasm for the built environment, our Patron is uniquely placed to champion our mission. We are delighted to have His Royal Highness’s support as we continue in our endeavour to celebrate architectural excellence, build a thriving architectural community, and share our expertise with the world.
We’re proud to mark this significant moment in our history as a Royal Institute. We look forward to maintaining strong ties as we transform our building, collections and digital access to support architects to make the future a better place.”
