London Marathon thanks Prince Harry for ‘unstinting support’

From Runner's World

• Prince Harry has been a patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust for the past nine years.

• Buckingham Palace has confirmed Harry and his wife, Meghan, will not be returning as working members of the royal family, they lose their royal patronages.

Prince Harry has been praised for his ‘unstinting support’ of the London Marathon Charitable Trust over the past nine years. He was patron of the Trust from January 2012 to January this year. Because Harry and his wife, Meghan, will no longer be working members of the royal family, they must return their royal patronages.

Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, described the duke as a 'wonderful' patron. The full statement reads: 'The Duke of Sussex has been a wonderful Patron of The London Marathon Charitable Trust since 2012 and we are immensely grateful for his unstinting support and interest in our work over the past nine years. Everyone at The Trust and the wider London Marathon family sends our best wishes and thanks to The Duke for all that he has done for The Trust.'

In 2017, during his time as patron, Prince Harry, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, spearheaded the Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign, which was appointed as the official Charity of the Year for the Virgin Money London Marathon. The campaign, which set out to change the conversation on mental health, raised £4 million that year – the most by any Charity of the Year.

Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge started the 2017 race and applauded runners at the finish line, as well as attending Heads Together training sessions.

Runners have been reacting to the news on social media:

Last year, to show support for the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon, Prince Harry sent a video message to all runners taking part in the race and met some runners in Los Angeles.

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