Britain's King Charles greeted celebrity ambassadors of his youth charity, including veteran musician Nile Rodgers, along with the charity's award winners on Wednesday in the first reception at Buckingham Palace since his coronation.
Dressed in a crisp, navy blue suit, Charles, who was crowned on May 6 in one of the country's biggest ceremonial events in decades, received the winners at the circular Bow Room at the rear of the palace facing 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 meet their needs.
"Coming all the way from Nigeria to (the) UK ... I am in the palace, I've seen the king!"
The Trust was set up by Charles in the 1970s when he was still prince and counts British actor Idris Elba as one of its beneficiaries.
Idowu was among the 11 winners who were recognised at a ceremony at the Theatre Royal in London on Tuesday for outstanding achievement in various categories including business, sustainability and women empowerment.
The palace reception drew celebrity guests including British TV and radio presenter Tyler West, who even managed a fist-bump from the new monarch. He told reporters later he was thrilled that Charles, 74, had "passed the vibe-check".
The Trust, which says it has supported 50,000 young people in Britain and 30,000 more worldwide last year, has expanded to two dozen countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Barbados.
"I've talked to so many young people around this room, and they're all telling me how they got their start because of the Prince's Trust," Rodgers, who performed at the charity's gala dinner in 2020, told Reuters.
Another winner Joanna Drewett, from Manchester in Britain, said support offered by the Trust through a self-development course transformed her, setting her on a new path.
She was accompanied by British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder, runner-up last year of the Eurovision song contest.
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
