The Royal Scottish Academy is an independent body of artists and architects founded as Scotland's oldest artists' collective, The Scottish Academy, in 1826 - and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1838 as the Royal Scottish Academy. Academicians are elected by their peers and are Scots by birth or domicile, the majority living and working in Scotland, from the Orkney Islands to the Borders. The roll of Honorary Academicians includes distinguished artists and architects, writers, historians and musicians, with the most senior being His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Academy embodies a wealth of professional experience in fine art and architecture with Members taking a leading role in higher education and in many of Scotland's cultural institutions. The RSA is one of very few bodies active within the arts which employs a full-time staff and mounts a year-round programme yet is not directly dependent on government funding at local or national level. Through this independence we are well placed to give an unbiased view, provide a platform for debate and a forum for advocacy.