HRH The Prince of Wales marked the occasion with a visit to our main campus in Shoreditch, East London, to view a one-day exhibition of drawings by our Drawing Year alumni from the past 14 years. The Prince, who founded the School in 2000 with painter Catherine Goodman, met our current students, alumni and tutors and announced the news with a speech in which he acknowledged the importance of drawing as 'one of the most direct ways of engaging with the world.'

Chairman Howard Marks, Artistic Director Catherine Goodman, and Andrea Rose, Head of the School's External Assessment Board and Director of Visual Arts at the British Council for over 20 years, also addressed the guests.

‘When Catherine Goodman and I founded the School 14 years ago, we held the belief that such an institution could provide an important contribution to the teaching of art in the UK.  Though this much started out as an experiment, standing here today I couldn’t be more delighted at what the Royal Drawing School has become: a resource of the highest quality, which ensures that observational drawing remains an evolving and vital force in the arts in perpetuity.’ – HRH, The Prince of Wales

‘I feel very proud that we have come this far since we began in 2000, because I’m more and more persuaded of the need for a Drawing School as a permanent part of the UK’s educational resources. There isn’t another one in Europe, and we are being sought out by students from all over the world.’ – Catherine Goodman, Artistic Director

And Yet The Rubble Thrived by Olivia Kemp

'The Prince’s Drawing School is an unlikely success story. All the set ideas in the Art world screamed ‘no’ when it opened its doors and 10 years later, some of the biggest names have been through those forward thinking doors, to see, to teach, or to talk with the students, who also demand to draw and to learn. Things change.' –  Humphrey Ocean RA, 2009

Richard E. Grant by alumnus Stuart Pearson Wright

Drawing Year alumnus and author/illustrator Louise Yates shows HRH The Prince of Wales the original artwork for 'Dog Loves Books'  

'The Royal Drawing School is being recognised as a vital resource for the high-quality teaching of drawing in the UK. In the 21st century – with all our amazing digital technology – drawing remains a skill that is as important and relevant as ever.' – Grayson Perry 

Taking a Dip by Kathryn Maple

'The name change gives the school the seal of approval, not just royal but also national. We are pleased, touched and proud.' – William Feaver 

Alexandra Park, Winter-Spring by Christopher Green

Sydney Picasso and Graham Southern, External Assessment Board

Donald Richie by Carl Randall