Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh awarded Honorary Fellowship of the College

The Duchess is passionate about preventing avoidable sight loss and supports a number of eye health and vision projects around the world, as well as being Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

Her Royal Highness was guest of honour at The College of Optometrists’ Royal Charter anniversary reception, which celebrated 30 years of the College’s Royal Charter. Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists, presented The Duchess with the Honorary Fellowship during the event. 

The reception took place on World Sight Day 2025 and marked the College’s unwavering commitment to the improvement and conservation of human vision, as enshrined in its Royal Charter. 

The special ceremony took place at Apothecaries’ Hall in the City of London, with senior representatives from eye care professionals’ bodies, vision and eye health researchers, policymakers, and a group of patients and their families in attendance. Steeped in history, Apothecaries’ Hall is also home to The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, one of the College’s predecessor bodies in its long heritage as the professional body for optometry.  

The British Optical Association was founded in 1895 as the first professional body for ophthalmic optics, before joining with the Scottish Association of Opticians and The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers in 1980 to become a single organisation: The College of Optometrists.  

The College was awarded its Coat of Arms in 1981 and its Royal Charter in 1995. The College of Optometrists’ Royal Charter celebratory dinner was held in the presence of the Duchess of Gloucester at London’s Guildhall in January 1996.