Twentieth Anniversary of our Royal Charter

On 29 July 2004, following a petition by the Council of the Royal Photographic Society, we were granted a Royal Charter by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Incorporation by Royal Charter is a prestigious way of acquiring legal personality and reflects the high status of that body. The granting of a Charter to our Society is a prestigious acknowledgment of our Society’s century-and-a-half contribution to photography and underscored our role in advancing both the art and science of the medium.

Royal Charters have a history dating back almost 1000 years. The authority for the grant of a Charter comes from the Royal Prerogative and, as such, the grant is made by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council. Their original purpose was to incorporate public or private corporations (including towns and cities) and to define their privileges and purposes. The first recorded Royal Charter (in the list of Charters maintained by the UK Government) was granted to the Worshipful Company of Weavers on 17 November 1155 although some earlier charters, from 1066, are known to have existed. Many older universities are also Chartered Bodies; the University of Cambridge received its Charter in 1231 and the University of Oxford in 1248.

Today, though Royal Charters are still occasionally granted to cities, new Royal Charters are normally reserved for bodies that work in the public interest, including professional institutions, learned societies, and charities, all of which must demonstrate pre-eminence, stability, and permanence in their particular field. Since the 1950s one of these criteria has been that the petitioner (the body or organisation seeking to be granted a Royal Charter) shall exist not solely to advance the interests of its members but also, and primarily, to advance the public interest.

Our Royal Charter is the highest of our three Instruments of Governance (followed by our ByLaws and our Regulations) and it outlines several important aspects of our governance:

Incorporation and Purpose

The Charter officially incorporates the Society as “The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain” and acknowledges our contributions to photography and our efforts to advance the art and science of photography.  Usefully, the Charter also defines the term ‘photography’ as “the recording of light or other radiation on any medium on which an image is produced or from which any image may by any means be produced.”

Objects and Powers

The Charter reinforces the Society's mission to promote and encourage the art and science of photography. This includes providing education, fostering an appreciation for photography through various cultural activities, awarding “distinction qualifications” (our Licentiate, Associate and Fellowship) and supporting professional development.

Governance and Structure

The Charter establishes the framework for governance, ensuring we operate transparently and effectively for the public benefit. This structure helps maintain the integrity, sustainability and accountability of our Society.

The granting of a Royal Charter in 2004 marked a significant milestone in the history of our Society and today - 27 July 2024 - we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the granting of that Charter. Four years ago, we returned to the Privy Council to seek overdue approval for new ByLaws. Following much work by Trustees, the final draft was approved by Members at our AGM in 2023. For these new ByLaws to become operative, the Privy Council had to approve them and an Order to that effect was signed, sealed, and issued by the Lords of His Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council on 14 May 2024.  It is under these ByLaws that our recent election and appointment of Trustees was conducted and under which the Society will for the future be governed.

In issuing this Order, the Privy Council also approved the Society’s authority to award the designation of ‘Chartered Photographer’ to qualifying professional photographers. This was the result of four years of work and represents another milestone in the history of the Society. As one senior professional photography educator has written, the designation of Chartered Photographer represents “perhaps the most significant development in the history of our profession.” Chartered Photographer status is a robust professional qualification that can be held only by academically-qualified and experienced professional photographers. The Privy Council set the required academic entry level at Masters degree (or an equivalent combining academic qualifications with substantial experience) and which requires regular individual re-evaluation to ensure continued professional competency and development.

The grant of our Royal Charter was a significant endorsement of our Society’s significance and its future potential. It highlights our dedication to excellence and our ongoing commitment to supporting the photographic community in the broadest sense. Our Royal Charter has enabled us to enhance our efforts in promoting photography, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the art and science of the medium in the years to come.

 

Simon Hill HonFRPS

President and Chair of Trustees