Lady Sarah Chatto succeeds cousin King Charles with major new role

Lady Sarah Chatto is following in her mother Princess Margaret's footsteps by becoming the President of The Royal Ballet School – a role which once belonged to the late royal. 

An announcement shared on the official website states: "Having previously served as Vice-President since 2004, Lady Chatto has now taken on the distinguished position, succeeding His Majesty King Charles III, who has become the Patron of The Royal Ballet School." 

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Lady Sarah Chatto has always been a champion for the arts, having studied art at the Royal Academy Schools. As a professional painter, the King's cousin is also Vice President of The Royal Drawing School and Patron of the Frederick Ashton Foundation. 

Her mother, Princess Margaret, was the first President of the ballet company in 1957 while Queen Elizabeth II became the Patron. 

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The statement continued: "Princess Margaret was a lifelong lover of ballet and a devoted supporter of The Royal Ballet School and associated companies – The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. 

"Princess Margaret served as President of the School from 1956, alongside the Late Queen Elizabeth II as Patron, until her passing in 2002.

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 "During her tenure as President, Princess Margaret often visited the School to support numerous events and attended performances by the School and Company. Notably, in 1951, Princess Margaret officially opened the School’s former site in Barons Court; she named the Anna Pavlova Studio at White Lodge in 1957 and the Margot Fonteyn Theatre in 1990." 

Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O'Hare, added: "I am absolutely delighted that The Lady Sarah Chatto has agreed to accept the position of President of The Royal Ballet. 

"As a long-standing and close friend of the Company, we are all deeply grateful that she will continue her dedicated care and support as our new President." 

It's no secret Princess Margaret enjoyed the ballet and would often head to the West End to see stage shows. 

She once told Dame Ninette de Valois after a visit to Covent Garden: "I had shivers down my back watching. My hands are quite worn out from clapping."