About the Charitable Gift Fund
1. What is the Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund?
Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton are extremely grateful for all the goodwill messages and presents being sent in celebration of their forthcoming Wedding. The couple are suggesting to those who are considering sending them a wedding present that instead they might consider making a charitable gift to a selection of chosen charities. In doing so the couple hope to create a legacy of community impact from the Royal Wedding.
2. How will money reach the charities?
All funds donated will go through Prince William's Foundation, the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, and be held by us in a specifically designated account. The funds will be distributed to charities which support the five causes chosen by the couple, according to the charities' needs and the decision of the Foundation's Trustees.
3. Can I choose where my donation goes?
People sending a gift via the website at www.royalweddingcharityfund.org can if they wish indicate which of five broad areas they have a preference for, and within this if they have a preference for one or more of the individual charities chosen in this area of work. The Trustees of the Foundation will take these preferences into consideration in making final decisions on distribution. By doing so the Trustees will ensure the most fair and effective distribution of the funds donated whilst still reflecting people's preferences.
4. Did the couple choose these charities themselves?
Yes. All the charities intended to benefit from the Fund have been chosen by Prince William and Miss Middleton. They reflect the couple's passions and interests as well as some of their experiences in their lives together so far.
5. Are the couple Patrons of these charities?
No. None of the charities chosen have any formal relationship with either Prince William or Miss Middleton. Rather the couple have chosen to take the chance to benefit some causes that have less exposure or which are undertaking valuable work in areas of the community which the couple feel would benefit from this support.
Prince William retains all his current Patronages and will continue to support them in his usual way.
6. How can people contribute to the Charitable Gift Fund?
If you wish to donate to the Fund you can do so by visiting the dedicated website at www.royalweddingcharityfund.org.
If you are in the UK you can donate over the telephone by calling 0300 123 2904.
You can also send a cheque to the Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund, c/o St. James's Palace, London SW1A 1BS.
If you receive mobile phone services from a UK mobile network operator, you can donate £5 by sending a Goodwill Message of your choice by text to the shortcode 70294.
You will be charged for all goodwill messages sent by SMS to 70294 by your mobile network operator at your standard network message charge. Your £5 donation will be charged to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid credit balance by way of a premium rate reverse charged confirmation SMS message which will be sent to your mobile phone or, if your mobile network operator is Vodafone, by directly placing the charge on your mobile phone bill. Please note that you cannot donate by SMS if your mobile network operator is in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. The text message service is administered by Dialogue Communications Limited on our behalf so if you have any questions regarding your SMS donations please contact them using the Helpline Number 0870 242 1142 Monday to Friday 9:00 - 17:30.
7. Are there any administration charges?
The Foundation will not deduct any administration or other charges from any donation you make. BT, who are hosting the charitable gift fund website and processing platform for website and telephone donations, and design agency GGMR, who have built the website, have agreed to waive their fees so as to enable as much as possible of your donation to be included in the Charitable Gift Fund. Also, all UK mobile operators have agreed to waive their usual processing charges so that the full £5 of any SMS donation will be added to the Fund. For donations made online or on the phone using a credit or debit card, standard processing charges will be deducted by banks and credit card companies and the balance of your donation will be added to the Fund without further deduction.
8. What do I do if I have any questions?
Please send an email to help@royalweddingcharityfund.org.
9. Can I also leave a message of goodwill?
Yes. Anyone making a charitable donation through the website can also leave a message of goodwill for the couple.
10. Will I receive a thank you?
People making donations via the website will also receive a thank you email from the couple.
