(NewsNation Now) — The royal family has links to more than 3,000 charities, military associations, professional agencies and public service organizations.

Royal patronages have existed since the days of King George II. A royal patronage is something held by organizations and charities when the queen or other members of the royal family lend their names to it. These roles are foreign to the United States, but they carry a lot of weight in the United Kingdom.

The royal website explains, “Having a royal patron or president provides vital publicity for the work of these organizations, and allows their enormous achievements and contributions to society to be recognized.”

When a member of the royal family becomes a patron, they act as a representative to promote charities or public service organizations the crown supports. However, the royals are not required to donate money to the organizations. It is a coveted role because it signifies a monarch’s status and endorses an organization’s work and affirms it to be of high quality and reputable.

On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Prince Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages, a day after his lawyers failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him which accuses the royal of sexual abuse.

Prior to the scandal, Prince Andrew was patron to more than 230 charities and organizations, including 26 different golf associations and research teams working on liver diseases.