Our Patrons

We are very proud to have five Patrons and were honoured when HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO consented to be our Patron. We thank all of our Patrons for agreeing to help us in this way and for graciously allowing us to use their names.

HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO

Remus Horse Sanctuary is delighted to have HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh as our Royal Patron.

The then Countess of Wessex visited the Sanctuary in July 2013, as part of the Sanctuary’s 30th year celebrations, where Her Royal Highness met the many animals and staff, volunteers and supporters at the Sanctuary.

Sue Burton, Founder of the Sanctuary said, “The Duchess of Edinburgh is a very warm lady and was genuinely interested in our work and the welfare of the animals. We were thrilled when she kindly accepted our invitation to be Royal Patron of the Sanctuary. We were delighted to meet Her Royal Highness and to be able to show her all of our animals and for her to see the work that we do”.

Lord Petre

Lord John Petre of Ingatestone, Essex is the 18th Lord of the Manor and was appointed Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Essex in October 2002, having been a Deputy Lieutenant since 1991. As HM Lord Lieutenant for Essex, Lord Petre was the Queen’s representative throughout the county. He retired from that post in 2017.

The Petre family has played a great part in England’s History, more information can be found on the Ingatestone Hall website.

Andrew Rosindell MP

Andrew Rosindell MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency of Romford in Essex. He was first elected to Parliament in 2001, having gained the seat from Labour.

Andrew was formerly a Shadow Home Affairs Minister with special responsibility for animal welfare, having previously served as one of Her Majesty’s Opposition Whips and Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party. He continues to take a strong interest in animal welfare issues and is joint Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Greyhound Group.

Claire King, Actress

Claire King has a host of TV credits but is most well-known for her roles as Kim Tate in Emmerdale, and wing governor Karen Betts in Bad Girls.

Claire King is well-known as a keen and very knowledgeable horse owner and her hobbies include riding her horses, walking her black Labradors, and going horse-racing.

Dave Monk, Radio Presenter

December 2025: We were very sorry to hear the sad news of the death of Dave Monk. He was a lovely man and our thoughts are with his close friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace Dave.

Dave was born in Essex and was fiercely passionate about his county and its attractions. In 2008 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex in recognition of his contribution to the county.

Dave came to radio in his 30’s and presented on BBC Essex for over 25 years with the occasional foray into regional television. Dave supported Remus Sanctuary for many years on his programme, helping with appeals for financial and practical assistance and was “delighted to have been asked to be a Patron of such a worthwhile cause”.