Fist or bow? Britain’s King Charles meets laureates and charity ambassadors

Dressed in a skin-tight navy blue suit, Charles, who was crowned on May 6 in one of the biggest ceremonies in decades, received the winners in the circular Bow Room at the rear of the palace, overlooking the garden .

“It’s a dream come true,” said Fiath Idowu, 21, who flew in from Nigeria to receive the Prince’s Trust Global Achiever Award. She said she left school at 15 to support her family and struggled to earn enough to support them.

“Coming from Nigeria to (UK)…I’m in the palace, I saw the king!”

The Trust was set up by Charles in the 1970s when he was still a prince and counts British actor Idris Elba among its beneficiaries.

Idowu was among 11 winners awarded at a ceremony at London’s Theater Royal on Tuesday for their outstanding achievements in various categories including business, sustainability and women’s empowerment.

The reception at the palace attracted celebrity guests, including British TV and radio presenter Tyler West, who was even smitten with the new monarch. He then told reporters he was happy Charles, 74, had “passed the vibe test”.

The Trust, which said it supported 50,000 young people in Britain and 30,000 around the world last year, has expanded to two dozen countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Barbados.

“I’ve spoken to so many young people in this room, and they’re all telling me how they got started thanks to the Prince’s Trust,” Rodgers, who performed at the association’s gala dinner in 2020, told Reuters. .

Another winner, Joanna Drewett, from Manchester, UK, said the Trust’s support through a self-development course transformed her and set her on a new path.

She was accompanied by British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder, a finalist in the Eurovision Song Contest last year.