Annual review 2006 - The Prince of Wales

THE ARTS
THE PRINCE’S OFFICIAL HARPIST
As well as supporting many arts organisations,
His Royal Highness also acts as a personal
patron of individual artists. In 2000, he
reinstated the post of Harpist to The Prince
of Wales to help celebrate and foster musical
talent in Wales and the UK, and to raise the
profile of the harp as an instrument.
The current occupant of the post is Jemima
Phillips (right) from Ebbw Vale. During the past
year Jemima has performed at a number of
royal occasions, including The Prince and
The Duchess’s wedding reception at Windsor
Castle in April 2005, and in March 2006 at the
opening in Cardiff of the Senedd, the debating
chamber of the new Welsh Assembly.
Jemima has described being the Official
Harpist as a “great honour”, but it can also
have real professional benefits. As Catrin Finch,
her predecessor, said when she left the post
in 2004: “It has opened up so many doors that
no other thing could have done for me.”
His Royal Highness has long been a keen supporter of
the arts and believes strongly that encouraging excellence
in the arts is a vital facet of a diverse and civilised society.
As well as his own main arts charities – Arts and Business,
The Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation, The Prince’s
Drawing School and The Prince’s School of Traditional
Arts – he is also president or patron of some 30 major
UKarts organisations.
ABOVE
The Duchess of Cornwall meets
some of the young people at
the Unicorn Theatre in London.
The theatre is an award-winning
producer of professional theatre
and education projects for children
aged 4- 12.
Every year, His Royal Highness works to sustain the arts organisations
with which he has a direct connection – by attending their concerts, giving
receptions for their supporters, and encouraging their development
programmes. Also, he personally sponsors young artists and musicians,
such as his Offi cial Harpist, and does what he can to help young people
experience the best in the UK arts. In February 2006, for example,
The Prince of Wales joined more than 450 schoolchildren at an Arts & Kids
exhibition in London displaying the results of a nationwide project which
had brought together pupils from 28 schools and professional artists in
workshops throughout the country. Among the artists working with the
children was the illustrator Quentin Blake.
The Duchess of Cornwall is also a keen supporter of the arts, and one
of the highlights of Her Royal Highness’s year was her fi rst visit since she
became its Patron to the Unicorn Theatre for Children in London. Founded
in 1947, The Unicorn is an award-winning producer of professional theatre
and education projects for children aged 4-12. In March 2006, The Duchess
attended rehearsals, watched a performance for schools in the main
auditorium and met children taking part in an education workshop.
34 | ANNUAL REVIEW 2006