King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by a glittering cast of A-listers as they celebrated 50 years of His Majesty’s inspirational flagship charity The King’s Trust.
The star-studded line-up at the Royal Albert Hall included Hollywood power couple George and Amal Clooney, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch and Lily Collins.
HELLO! was a media partner for the King’s Trust Celebration, an evening of entertainment and awards honouring some of the young people who have been helped by the charity Charles – then still the Prince of Wales – founded in 1976 with his navy severance pay.
The evening included performances from Sir Rod Stewart, Rita Ora, Jools Holland, Craig David, Anne Marie and Skye Newman and was hosted by King’s Trust ambassadors Ant and Dec, whom the King said never looked any older. “It’s all makeup,” quipped Ant.
© Getty ImagesOther high-profile names included Fearne Cotton, Kate Garraway, Alesha Dixon, Rochelle Humes and Charlotte Tilbury, who revealed that the Queen wears her lipstick.
As Charles and Camilla met celebrity supporters backstage, human rights lawyer Amal, who presented a women’s empowerment award and turned heads in a striking gold gown, told the King she was “proud and grateful” to be involved.
George added: “What can I say? Thank you for inviting me. We very much appreciate it. Thank you.”
© Dave Benett/Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Camilla, in an electric blue lace evening dress and purple cape, chatted to Amal about makeup after hearing that she was wearing Charlotte Tilbury.
Confirming the Queen also wears her brand, Charlotte said: “Yes, she does… ‘Pillow Talk’ isn’t the number one selling lipstick in the world for nothing!”
Charlotte, who is a global ambassador for The King’s Trust, praised Charles for helping to transform the lives of some 1.3 million disadvantaged young people in the UK by helping them to develop skills to find work, and adding £1.4 billion to the economy.
© WireImage“My advice to young people is always to dare to dream it, dare to believe it, and dare to do it. Because if you dare, your dreams will 1000 percent come true,” she told HELLO!.
Gaby Roslin, an ambassador for 30 years, said of the King: “He’s passionate about the trust, he’s passionate about caring for young people, he believes that everybody should have an opportunity and he’s passionate about the planet too. He’s a good man.”
Vital work
Among the winners on the night was Brandon Tattersall, 27, who received his Homesense Young Achiever award from former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate and, along with fellow winners, met the King and Queen during the evening.
© The King’s Trust/Alastair FyfeBrandon, from Chorley, Lancashire, struggled at school and spiralled into depression after being made redundant and then failing to get an accountancy apprenticeship. But, after joining the King’s Trust’s business administration training programme, he’s now thriving as a data analyst at BAE Systems, which provides some of the world’s most advanced defence, aerospace and security solutions.
“The redundancy, the rejection of the apprenticeship, and bottling a lot of things up inside, I was sort of getting to a breaking point,” Brandon told HELLO!. “Now, I’m motivated every day to push forward and to get as far as I can in my career. I never thought I would be this confident in what I do – it’s like the difference of night and day.
“It’s also a massive thing for me to be able to help young people who are in similar positions to myself and help give them the opportunity to develop themselves and fulfill their potential,” adds Brandon, who is now a youth ambassador for the charity.
© Getty Images“I don’t really want to think about where I would be without the King’s Trust, but I know I definitely wouldn’t be anywhere near this.”
Formerly known as The Prince’s Trust, the charity helps young people aged 11 to 30 from disadvantaged and adverse backgrounds to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities, as well as supporting them to find employment or start their own business.
© Dave Benett/Getty Images‘Very special’ work
Bafta-nominated actor David Oyelowo, 50, who like Idris Elba, launched his career with the help of The King’s Trust and is now an ambassador, told HELLO!: “I feel really privileged to have been part of the legacy of this trust, from a recipient to now an ambassador, to now be celebrating half a century of what I think is truly one of the jewels in the crown of what the royal family do.
“What the King has done with his with his privilege – and I think he would describe it as such – it’s a very special thing.”
© Alastair Fyfe @FyfePhotoRecalling how Charles watched him play Henry V1 on stage in 2001, he continued: “He’s been very lovely to me; he always tells me how proud he is of me. I remember him coming to see me at the Royal Shakespeare Company, which was a beautiful thing, because his trust paid for me to go to the youth theatre where I started that journey. So, him coming to see me play the King of England at the Royal Shakespeare Company was quite special.”
“I think he got some tips on how to be King – he was still Prince at the time,” he added with a laugh.
