Princess Diana used her powerful celebrity to draw attention to what were perceived at the time as difficult social causes, from landmines to Aids. Now her son William and his bride, Kate Middleton, appear to be maintaining the tradition, potentially delivering a multimillion-pound windfall to a handful of mostly little-known and unfashionable charities via their wedding list.
Rather than inviting presents, the couple have asked wedding guests and members of the public to dip into their pockets to support 26 organisations that comprise the couple's charitable gift fund, covering a range of impeccably liberal causes such as mentally ill ex-servicemen, young offenders, former gang members, bullied youngsters, refugee students, homeless people, teenage drug addicts and children in care.
It has not gone unnoticed in the charity sector that causes often favoured by celebrities and global brands are conspicuous by their absence from the list. "Wills and Kate have been very brave in their choice of charity – far braver than a lot of companies," said Joe Saxton, director of NFP Synergy, the charity analysts. "You don't get many corporations deciding to partner with care leavers or young offenders. William and Kate have gone outside that uber-safe territory."
Nick Booth, chief executive of the Prince William and Prince Harry Foundation, which is hosting the wedding list fund, described the couple's choices as "remarkable" and "forward looking". They worked with experts including Comic Relief and the analysts New Philanthropy Capital to identify the 26 charities. The aim, said Booth, was "catalytic philanthropy" – focusing resources on ambitious, smaller organisations that demonstrate real social impact and the ability to grow and expand.
No one is sure how much cash will be raised by the gift fund; an announcement on the initial amounts raised is expected next week. Many in the sector hope it will generate a wider wave of charitable giving.
Experts said a fundraising opportunity like this was unprecedented. Wealthy wedding guests – who range from Sir Elton John to the crown prince of Bahrain – may be moved to cough up extraordinary sums. But this potential largesse might be dwarfed by the online giving component of the couple's gift fund website, which has had more than 260,000 visitors from around the world since its launch last month.
"If it raises £30m that would be extraordinary," said Saxton. "Over £10m would be pretty good. Less than £1m and I would be disappointed. But we are in uncharted territory here."
Booth said the main intention was not to fundraise but to "channel goodwill" to the causes. He rejected the suggestion that the fund would concentrate public donations into a tiny "golden circle" of Windsor-endorsed charities at the expense of others. The idea was that people considering spending money on a present for the couple should send a donation instead – not stop giving to other causes.Long term, according to Saxton, the real charity winners will be the causes Kate decides to adopt as her own. "The charitable wedding fund is like the first round of The X Factor. The real event will come when Kate decides which organisations she wants to focus on. Kate is the royal that the public are really interested in."
Since the list was announced the effect on many of the charities has been extraordinary, both in terms of global interest in their campaigns and the donations to their accounts. IntoUniversity, a London-based charity that helps disadvantaged teenagers get into higher education, said it had been inundated with requests for interviews from media around the world.
Another wedding list charity, Beat Bullying, has been chosen as the beneficiary of a fundraising day organised by 600 West End retailers, directly as a result of its royal endorsement. A National Voice, a tiny Manchester-based charity that supports children in care, said the royal recognition of its cause was invaluable – "but the money is important too because like everyone else we are having a tough year".
Promoting charities is increasingly seen by the public as a key royal duty, according to Saxton, but it is a two-way relationship. "Charities may need the royal family, but they need charities. It gives them a role and focus."