The King has been joined by a host of stars to celebrate the achievements of young talent and senior figures recognised by his foundation.
Charles met David Beckham, Stanley Tucci and Penny Lancaster, all King’s Foundation ambassadors, alongside friends of the charitable body, Hollywood stars Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep, at the St James’s Palace awards ceremony.
Prizes including Young Entrepreneur and Advocate of the Year were presented by the celebrities including the King Charles III Harmony Award, recognising a long-term commitment to the foundation’s mission of creating a world where people, places and the planet can live in harmony.
Charles met his foundation’s famous supporters and award winners before touring stands showcasing the charity’s work, and Winslet smiled as she told him: “Don’t worry, I’ll be all in – I’ve got your back.”
Celebrity chef Raymond Blanc hailed the King for his campaigning over the decades on issues like communities, sustainability and traditional crafts that underpin the foundation, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
His ITV series Raymond Blanc’s Royal Kitchen Gardens took him to palaces like Hampton Court and Hillsborough, as well as Highgrove House and the Castle of Mey – places Charles calls home.
Blanc, a foundation ambassador, said after meeting Charles: “I think what the King has done is extraordinary. He’s done it for many, many years – from the 1970s, about the same time I arrived in England – and my values are his values.
“There’s a deep belief in connecting human beings with communities, with agriculture, with sustainability, management of waste, management of energy, and he has done it for the last 45, 50 years.”
Blanc’s words were echoed by Penny Lancaster who praised the monarch for creating the awards and highlighting the needs of the planet throughout his adult life.
She added: “The King may have been accused of hugging trees and people thinking he was mad when he started talking about the environment all that time ago, but he was at the forefront then and now has been proved right with everything he said and now we’re all just trying to play catch up.
“I really recognise the beauty in the way he is trying to get us on board with his knowledge and if we can pass that on to the younger generation, and save some of the traditional skills like we’ve seen with these winners today, we can all be a part of making a difference.”
The King’s Foundation, previously known as The Prince’s Foundation following an amalgamation of Charles’ charities which stretch back to 1990, aims to “advocate for the change His Majesty wants to see in the world”.
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