President

30 April 13

BAFTA/ Brian J Ritchie / Rex Features HRH The Duke of Cambridge's appointment to BAFTA's presidency in February 2010 follows a long tradition of Royal involvement with BAFTA; all but one of BAFTA's presidents in its history have been members of the Royal Family.

HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, was the organisation's first president in 1959, a year after The British Film Academy (founded 1947) and the Guild of Television Producers and Directors merged to create the Society of Film and Television Arts (SFTA, a forerunner of BAFTA).

The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, The Duke of Edinburgh's uncle, took over the presidency from 1966, until HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, was named president from 1973, and remained in the post until 2001.

The Duke of Cambridge succeeded Lord Attenborough – the only non-Royal president of BAFTA to date – in 2010, to become the fifth in its history.

Visit the BAFTA's Royal Connections page for more information on the Royal Family's involvement with the Academy.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge and BAFTA

The Duke of Cambridge, the current President of BAFTA, is supported by Vice Presidents Sophie Turner Laing (representing Television) and Duncan Kenworthy (representing Film).

Patronages and the Charities Forum

As well as being President of BAFTA, The Duke - along with his wife The Duchess of Cambridge and his brother Prince Harry - is the president or patron of a number of other organisations, collectively known as the Charities Forum, in which BAFTA plays an active role. Their Royal Highnesses support causes that reflect issues they care about, both at home and abroad.

Further information on those organisations can be found on their websites, via the links below.

Past Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Academy

Presidents

Vice Presidents

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