Our Patron

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales

HRH The Princess of Wales is Patron of Anna Freud. Her Royal Highness became our Patron early in 2016, and the position marks her continued dedication to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of young people and children, particularly in their early years. In 2021, The Princess of Wales launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which had content developed with expert guidance from Anna Freud.

Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive of Anna Freud said: “Her Royal Highness’s work in this field is a catalyst for change and that is helping us to achieve the quality of care that children and their families so richly deserve.”

Opening our London headquarters

In May 2019, HRH The Princess of Wales opened Anna Freud's new London building.

During the visit, Her Royal Highness also met with families attending Pears Family School, founded by Anna Freud, which is an alternative provision school for pupils aged 5-14 who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from mainstream education.

Heads Together

HRH The Princess of Wales also spearheaded the Heads Together campaign alongside HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry.

The campaign was led by The Royal Foundation in partnership with Anna Freud and seven other charities and has played a significant role in changing the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing, by tackling stigma, raising awareness and providing vital help for people with mental health issues. The Mentally Healthy Schools website, which is run by Anna Freud, was launched in 2018 by The Princess of Wales as a legacy of The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign. It was developed by leading children’s mental health charities Anna Freud, Young Minds and Place2Be.