King Charles has built strong links with the Harrogate district over many decades.
He is patron of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, a position he took up when the group faced the mammoth challenge of raising £2.7m to save the historic building.
Opened in 1903, the hall was forced to close less than 100 years later when part of its ceiling collapsed, leaving it in need of more than £13m of repairs.
An urgent project was undertaken to carry out repairs, led by Harrogate Borough Council and the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Once work was completed, King Charles officially opened the newly refurbished Royal Hall in 2008, welcomed by its chairman, the late Lilian Mina MBE.
In support of the trust, King Charles said:
“As Patron of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, I am delighted to lend my support to the Trust’s efforts to raise the funds towards the restoration of this unique part of our national heritage.
“Over the past one-hundred years, this magnificent building has faithfully served the people of Harrogate and the surrounding district in many different roles.
“The inherent versatility of Frank Matcham’s brilliant concept for this theatre building has enabled the Royal Hall to be used for a range of purposes – from a cinema to a boxing arena, from an area for exhibition displays to a dance hall; from ballet to theatre performances, from school speech days to concert hall – the list is almost endless.
“It has truly justified the “act of faith in the future of the town” made by those far-sighted local leaders who were so inspirational in its creation and who saw it as a vital part of Harrogate’s future prosperity.
“I would urge you to support the appeal in any way that you can.”
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King Charles has other long-standing links to the Harrogate district.
King Charles is a freeman of the city of Ripon, an honour conveyed to him in 2002 for his support to the community.
A plaque was unveiled near the front door of the town hall to mark the occasion and the future king visited the city for the occasion.
His interest in farming and the countryside saw him become patron of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in 1998, taking the role from the Queen who had held it since 1952.
His first visit to the Great Yorkshire Show was the following year, 1999. He returned in 2006, 2011 and 2015, accompanied by the Queen Consort.
Their last visit was last summer, when the show was held over four days for the first time in order to enable more social distancing during the covid pandemic.
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