Charity Commission closes case on serious incident report from Freud Museum

The Charity Commission has responded after the Freud Museum London filed a serious incident report regarding a dispute about its governance and management.

A spokesperson for the commission confirmed that a serious incident report “relating to an external dispute” had been filed by the museum in July, the contents of which are confidential. The spokesperson confirmed that the commission had closed its case on the report after issuing advice and guidance to the museum.

Allegations were published in The Guardian newspaper last week in which the Friends of the Freud Museum – a group of around 20 supporters of the museum – claimed there are “serious issues” with the institution’s management and governance.

These included allegations that the museum’s board had “alienated staff, promoted a divisive and partisan approach to psychoanalytic practice in breach of the museum’s charter, and attempted to block visiting speakers for ‘political’ reasons”.

A trustee of the museum, Susanna Abse, told The Guardian at the time that the museum disputed the “unevidenced and unsubstantiated” allegations.

The Charity Commission spokesperson told Museums Journal: “After issuing the trustees of the Freud Museum with advice and guidance, we have closed our case assessing matters the charity alerted to us in a serious incident report. We are satisfied, based on the information available to us, that this is a matter between the charity and the Friends of the Freud Museum group.”

Museums Journal understands the Friends group, which is not officially affiliated with the museum, was previously offered a mediated meeting to discuss its concerns.

In a statement, the Freud Museum said it is “committed to transparency, accountability, and the highest standards of governance”.

The statement said: “The Freud Museum London acknowledges recent media coverage concerning allegations of poor governance and management at the museum. These concerns have been raised by a group including ex-trustees and former staff, identifying themselves as Friends of the Museum.

“We wish to clarify that this group holds no formal role within the governance or operational structure of the Freud Museum. Nonetheless, the board of trustees has been engaging with representatives of the group in good faith to better understand their concerns.”

The museum said it is seeking constructive dialogue and has liaised with sector bodies for advice. A review of the museum’s governance was already planned before the dispute arose.

The statement said: “The Freud Museum remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the highest standards of governance.

“We value the support and interest of all our stakeholders, including visitors, members, donors, and the wider community. Constructive dialogue is essential to the continued success of the museum, and we are dedicated to fostering open and respectful communication with all who care about our mission.”

“The board are liaising closely with the Charity Commission, Museums Association and the Association of Independent Museums, taking their advice to ensure that our governance structures continue to give the museum solid foundations on which to deliver our objective of promoting the intellectual and cultural legacies of Sigmund and Anna Freud.

“As we move forward, the board and leadership team will continue to work diligently to ensure the museum remains a vibrant and trusted cultural institution, preserving the legacy of Sigmund Freud and promoting public understanding of psychoanalysis.”

The museum has undergone a change in leadership in recent months, with previous director Giuseppe Albano moving to Trent Park House of Secrets. The museum is currently led by acting director Dan Feeney, with a new leader due to be announced soon.

A spokesperson for the the Friends of the Freud Museum group told Museums Journal: “The board have proposed mediation, spinning the problem as some sort of friction between the Friends group and the board, yet the Friends group was only formed after staff members, ex-staff members, trustees and ex-trustees contacted two previous directors of the museum and former trustees with allegations of appalling board behaviour and the transformation of the museum into a 'police state'”.

The group said in a statement: “The Friends group consider that there have been serious problems in the conduct of the board and their management of the museum, which we tried to resolve through correspondence and a meeting in March. We do not consider the issues closed.”

Update
05.08.2025

Updated to include a statement from the Friends of the Freud Museum group, and to clarify aspects of the Charity Commission response and timeline of events.