Royal Drawing School (RDS) is an independent, notâÂÂforâÂÂprofit educational organisation and registered charity based in Shoreditch, London. It was founded in 2000 by HM King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and artist Catherine Goodman as the PrinceâÂÂs Drawing School; the school received permission to adopt its current name in 2014.
RDS teaches observational drawing at all levels and, by its 25th anniversary, was running more than 350 courses annually, from dropâÂÂin sessions to its postgraduate programme, the Drawing Year.
RDS was established in 2000, during a period when the role of traditional draughtsmanship in UK art education was widely debated. In 2025, the school marked its 25th anniversary with The Power of Drawing: Marking 25 Years of the Royal Drawing School, an exhibition at its Shoreditch studios that included works by David Hockney, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Tim Burton and Quentin Blake, alongside a pencil sketch by HM King Charles III.
The Royal Drawing School runs short and termâÂÂlength public courses for adults, as well as online options. Its postgraduate programme, the Drawing Year, is a feeâÂÂfree (fullâÂÂscholarship) course that includes studio provision and professional development; places are limited to around 30 students. The school also teaches Young Artists aged 10âÂÂ18, both inâÂÂstudio and online. As part of widening access, the school has expanded online provision and piloted livestreamed classes from museums and galleries.
The school is based at Shoreditch Studios, a converted 19thâÂÂcentury warehouse on Charlotte Road comprising four drawing studios, a basement intaglio print room, the groundâÂÂfloor Maria Manetti Shrem Gallery Studios, and a digital studio for liveâÂÂstreamed teaching, with stepâÂÂfree access and hearing loops in all teaching spaces.
Alongside student and alumni exhibitions, the school presents public talks and collaborations. Its 25thâÂÂanniversary series and The Power of Drawing exhibition highlighted drawingâÂÂs role across creative disciplines and featured figures from art and design, including Hockney, Emin, Gormley and Jony Ive.
In 2025, Pentagram partner Harry Pearce created a new visual identity for the school, titled "Drawing from the Source", launched during the 25thâÂÂanniversary year.
The Royal Drawing School is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1101538). The schoolâÂÂs Royal Founding Patron is HM King Charles III; the Vice President is The Lady Sarah Chatto. The founding artistic director is Catherine Goodman CBE LVO and the principal is Harry Parker.