Celebrating 35 years
2025 marks 35 years of The King’s Foundation. Learn about the history of the organisation and how you can get involved in the celebrations this year.

Transforming lives and communities since 1990.
Our 35th anniversary
His Majesty King Charles III first founded the Institute of Architecture in 1990.
This year marks our 35th anniversary. We’re celebrating by showcasing the impact we’ve had over the past 35 years and looking ahead to our vision for the future – a world where we live in harmony with nature to improve the wellbeing of people, places and planet.

The King’s Foundation timeline
Discover the history of our 35-year-old organisation by clicking on each year to learn more.
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1990
The Institute of Architecture is formed and the then Prince of Wales gives a keynote speech at its inaugural Summer School for architecture students.
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1992
Poundbury development begins, an urban extension that embodies the principles of placemaking which underpin our built environment work.
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1996
The then Prince of Wales creates The Phoenix Trust as a building preservation charitable trust, and Regeneration Through Heritage as an initiative to help community groups regenerate heritage buildings.
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1998
Establishment of The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment.
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2006
The Phoenix Trust and Regeneration Through Heritage merge to form The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, creating a single vehicle for the conservation and regeneration of important heritage buildings at risk.
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2007
The King, then Prince of Wales, saves Dumfries House and its contents for the nation.
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2010
Harmony book published.
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2012
Education courses begin.
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2018
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust are merged to become The Prince’s Foundation.
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2019
The Foundation becomes Trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust.
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2021
The Foundation becomes the custodians of Highgrove Gardens, managing the opening of the gardens to the public and expanding the educational offering in traditional skills on site.
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2023
Following His Majesty’s ascension to the throne, we become The King’s Foundation, signalling The King’s ongoing commitment to our work.
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2024
Launch of The King’s Foundation Australia.
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2025
We celebrate our 35th anniversary!