Our Patron
Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales
HRH The Princess of Wales is Patron of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. 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 the Anna Freud Centre.
Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive of the Centre 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 the Anna Freud Centre’s new London building.
During the visit, Her Royal Highness also met with families attending Pears Family School, founded by the Anna Freud Centre, 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 the Anna Freud Centre 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 the Anna Freud Centre, 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 the Anna Freud Centre, Young Minds and Place2Be.