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At one time a Royal Charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be formed, but other means such as the registration of a limited company are now available. Among the historic bodies formed by Royal Charter were the British East India Company and the American colonies.
Among the 400 or so organisations with Royal Charters are cities, the BBC, Livery Companies, Britain's older universities, professional institutions and charities.
A Royal Charter is the manner in which a British town is raised to the rank of British city. Most recently InvernessThis article is about the city of Inverness in Scotland. For other places of the same name, see Inverness (disambiguation). Inverness Lieutenancy Site of city shown in red Inverness is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. It lies at the mouth of the R, Brighton & Hove and Wolverhampton were given their charters to celebrate the millennium, and PrestonThis article is about Preston in Lancashire, England. For other uses of the name see Preston (disambiguation). Preston is a local government district and city in North West England. It is the county town of Lancashire, and is on the Ribble river. Preston, Stirling, NewportThis article is about the Welsh city of Newport. For other Newports, see Newport (disambiguation). Newport ( Welsh: Casnewydd is the third largest city in Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea). Standing on the banks of the river Usk, it is the cultural capita, LisburnLisburn Lios na gCearrbhach in Irish) is a city in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of about 110,000. The town is predominantly unionist, but has a number of nationalist communities. Negotiations preceding the American War of Independenc and NewryNewry is a city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the border with County Armagh. It is about halfway between Belfast and Dublin. It has a population of about 30,000 and was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery. It grew as a market town and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002.
Some of the older British universities operate under Royal Charters, which give them the power to grant degrees. The most recent generation of universities were granted this power by the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992 instead. Some other universities operate under Acts of Parliament.
The BBC operates under a Royal Charter which lasts for a limited period of ten years, after which it is renewed.
Most Royal Charters are now granted to professional institutions and to charities. A Charter is not necessary for them to operate, but one is often sought as a recognition of "pre-eminence, stability and permanence".