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The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust

Charity rating & review

72/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
72 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust a good charity?

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust scores 72/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 79% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

London · UK-wide · SW1V 1PX Reg 1172107 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust is a registered charity (no. 1172107) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 79% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 9 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Income has been growing over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars). 79% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1172107. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £796k, with 79% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 9 months of operating costs. 2 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

72/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

79%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

68/100

Finance beacon

Income

£796k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

9 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£3.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 15% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£500k–£1m)72 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 34% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Animals charities72 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 40% of 2,982 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

68/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

33% 5/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

67/100

Financial Health metrics for The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 9 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 10% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 79% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

50% 20p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

100% 10 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

72/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

68/100
Accountability & Transparency
67/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

68/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts
Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

67/100

Reserves (months of cash)9 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets10% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Program expense ratio79% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency20p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio10 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £796k
Total expenditure £1.5m
Charitable activities £1.2m 80%
Fundraising £304k 20%
Governance & admin £104k 7%
80%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £1.5m spent

  • Charitable activities80%
  • Fundraising20%
  • Governance7%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    Filing status: late

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    5 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    7 employees · 10 volunteers (1:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1172107

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Janette Carole Wilkinson since 2019
  • Stephen Ball Chair · since 2023
  • Aneeta Williams since 2020
  • Ameer Kotecha since 2023
  • Jonathan Andrews since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £500k £1000k £1500k £2000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £796k Spending 2021: £1,528k Cause spend 2021: £1,224k Income 2022: £980k Spending 2022: £1,687k Cause spend 2022: £1,382k Income 2023: £1,064k Spending 2023: £1,648k Cause spend 2023: £1,336k Income 2024: £804k Spending 2024: £1,320k Cause spend 2024: £1,067k Income 2025: £243k Spending 2025: £334k Cause spend 2025: £250k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
72/100 (2★)
Income
£796k
Cause spend
79% of expenditure
Reg number
1172107
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
9 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2021
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's charity rating? +

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust scores 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust a good charity to donate to? +

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 79% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1172107. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's Charity Commission registration number? +

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's registration number is 1172107. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1172107

How much income does The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust receive? +

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust reported £796k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 79% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 13% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 15%.

Are The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust based? +

The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1V 1PX and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.