Rod Stewart and Wife Penny Lancaster Join Forces with King Charles in Special Announcement

King Charles is adding more celebrities to his list of ambassadors.

Rock legend Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster have become the latest supporters of The King’s Foundation. They join a star-studded list of fans including actress Sienna Miller, who was announced in December, and former soccer legend David Beckham, who joined last summer.

The announcement coincides with the 35th anniversary of Charles’ charity, which focuses on practical education and training programs aimed at building stronger communities and transforming lives. Many of its courses, held at Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire, England, are designed to preserve heritage skills such as embroidery and turning, ensuring that these traditional crafts continue for future generations.

Sir Rod and Lady Stewart, as the charity officially recognizes them, will visit Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland – the charity’s headquarters – this week to deepen their involvement with its initiatives. For Penny, who is a volunteer police officer and menopause awareness campaigner, a key focus of the visit will be meeting staff at the health and wellbeing center to learn more about their perimenopause support programs and services.

Penny Lancaster and Rod Stewart at the annual awards ceremony of The King’s Foundation at the Palace of St. James’ in London on June 11, 2024.

Ian Jones for the King’s Foundation

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It is said that the couple was deeply inspired by the work of the King’s Foundation, as they met with students and alumni at the organization’s awards ceremony at the Palace of St. James in June 2024. Rod, who celebrated his 80th birthday on January 10, has long been a dedicated supporter of Charles’ charitable initiatives, including the Prince’s Trust, which helps disadvantaged young people access business opportunities that might otherwise miss — now renamed King’s Trust.

Rod Stewart and David Beckham behind King Charles at the annual awards ceremony for Charles’ charity at St. James’ in London in June 2024.

KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty

Rod said he and Penny were “delighted” to be ambassadors and “look forward to supporting this worthy cause, especially during such a significant year for the charity.”

Lady Stewart, 53, called it an “honour”. “As a volunteer special constable, the Foundation’s approach to building communities — and how access to green space can help build better, healthier places — is especially important to me.”

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The foundation’s executive director, Kristina Murrin, said the couple had been friends of the charity for some time. “It is fantastic to cement that relationship with the news of their embassy. We are so pleased that they are officially joining us in our mission to build sustainable communities and transform lives around the world,” she said.

Ahead of the holidays, new Ambassador Miller took part in a Christmas carol service for the charity and read Sir John Betjeman’s iconic Christmas alongside Angelica Ellis, an embroidery graduate of The King’s Foundation and CHANEL Metiers d’art Embroidery Fellowship.

The scholarship is a partnership with Le19M, based in Highgrove Gardens. Students are encouraged to be inspired by the sights and flora in Charles’ garden at Highgrove when creating their designs. When PEOPLE visited in the summer, Ellis, from London, said she got the inspiration for her idea from the purple and orange saffron flowers in the garden. “This is about protecting traditional crafts, which I also care about,” she said.

Penny Lancaster and Rod Stewart at the annual awards ceremony of The King’s Foundation at the Palace of St. James’ in London on June 11, 2024.

Ian Jones for the King’s Foundation

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“You see the advantages in France where they are quite good at producing and retaining their skills. The project here is super important,” she told PEOPLE. “There are things that the teachers here have given me that I don’t think are available anywhere else.”

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Source: HIS Education