The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales has appointed Sarah Rose as its new chief executive, the organisation said, with Rose due to start in February as the charity expands work on homelessness, early childhood and wildlife conservation.
Rose succeeds Amanda Berry CBE, who will move into a newly created role as Global Partnerships Ambassador. The foundation said Rose will work across the couple’s flagship programmes, including William’s Homewards campaign to end homelessness, the Princess’s Centre for Early Childhood, United for Wildlife and the Community Impact programme.
Rose brings decades of experience in British television. Her LinkedIn profile and the foundation’s announcement note roles at Paramount, where she spent five years as President of Channel 5 and UK Regional Lead, and earlier positions at Channel 4 — including head of VOD and channel development and later chief consumer and strategy officer — and four years at ITV. During her time at Channel 5 she oversaw programming including factual and reality titles.
"We are looking forward to welcoming Sarah to The Royal Foundation and to working with her on some of the issues which are closest to our hearts," William and Kate said in a joint statement. "We are hugely grateful to Amanda for her exceptional leadership over the past three years and are pleased she will continue to work with us in her new role as Global Partnerships Ambassador."
Rose said she was "honoured to be joining The Royal Foundation" and described herself as "incredibly proud" of a 30-year career in public service broadcasting. Simon Patterson, chair of The Royal Foundation, said the organisation was "delighted" to welcome her and praised her "wealth of leadership experience, both commercial and public service," adding that she "embodies the Foundation's core values of optimism and creativity." Patterson also thanked Berry for her leadership and said he looked forward to continuing to work with her in her ambassadorial role.
The appointment comes as the foundation positions itself to scale existing programmes and develop new partnerships. Homewards, launched by the Prince of Wales, aims to coordinate charities, business and government to eliminate street homelessness in parts of the UK. The Princess’s Centre for Early Childhood focuses on research and support for young children and families, while United for Wildlife works with international partners on conservation and tackling illicit wildlife trade.
The choice of a senior television executive reflects the foundation’s combination of public engagement and partner-driven initiatives. The move also follows media-focused hires by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex earlier this year; the Sussexes appointed Emily Robinson, a former Netflix publicity executive who promoted the later seasons of the drama The Crown, as director of communications before her departure from Netflix in April 2024.
The announcement arrives amid a busy public calendar for the Prince and Princess of Wales. In recent days they made engagements that included meeting members of the Women’s Institute, where William reflected on the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the couple discussed community projects and early years work. The foundation said Rose will join at an "exciting time" as it continues to develop and scale its programmes across the UK and internationally.
Rose’s start date and initial priorities will be set out by the foundation in the coming weeks, and Berry will transition to her ambassador role while maintaining a working relationship with the organisation she led for three years.