His Majesty The King announced as Patron for the Association of Commonwealth Universities

London, 4 May 2024 – The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) welcomes His Majesty King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth, as its new Patron.

Through a unique network of more than 400 members in over 40 countries, the ACU convenes and connects universities to share knowledge and strengthen their capacity to make a critical contribution to sustainable development across the Commonwealth and beyond.

As the Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty is deeply familiar with the issues that matter to Commonwealth universities and their 10 million students, including student access, employability and inclusion. His patronage will be instrumental in raising the global profile of the solutions Commonwealth universities are finding to the major challenges facing the world, from climate change to biodiversity loss and rapid urbanisation.

We remember The late Queen, named the ACU’s first Patron in 1986, who was a passionate advocate for the causes that mattered to her. The late Queen always recognised the impact higher education has on individuals and communities, as seen through her support for the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarship (QECS) scheme, named in her honour. We look forward to continuing this important work with His Majesty The King.

ACU Secretary General Professor Colin Riordan CBE said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that His Majesty The King will be the new Patron of the ACU. Sharing our passion for the transformational power of higher education, His Majesty will be an outstanding advocate for the ACU’s mission to connect Commonwealth universities to work across borders and boundaries to build a fairer, more sustainable world.

We share his belief in the power of Commonwealth collaboration and we look forward to working closely with His Majesty as our Patron to realise joint action, including on issues such as climate resilience and sustainable urbanisation, which we know are close to his heart.’