Why the National Theatre is so determined not to be ‘Royal’

♦the National Theatre has admitted it deliberately avoids using the prefix “Royal” in its title for fear of giving the impression it is an elitist institution.

The artistic director of the National Theatre (NT) delivered a snub to the monarchy yesterday when he suggested using its full title could be the theatre’s downfall by putting off potential new audiences.

The “Royal” prefix to the name of the theatre was given in 1988, but the title is rarely used, in contrast to the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera House, the NT’S counterparts.

Speaking at the launch of the National Theatre’s 2018-19 programme, Rufus Norris indicated that that was unlikely to change any time soon.

He said: “This country is still very class divided and anything that adds to that perception, that this place is not open to everybody, could be a downfall. I fear that for some people [the Royal prefix] adds to that perception.”

Sharing Mr Norris’s concern, Alex Beard, the chief executive of the Royal Opera House, said last month that the word “Royal” in the venue’s name was “off-putting” to the public.