Naomi Campbell has shared words of encouragement for King Charles III as he prepares for his coronation on Saturday 6 May.
The supermodel, 52, first met the monarch when he was the Prince of Wales at Donatella Versace’s 2001 charity fashion gala.
She recalled meeting him several times since then, but her “highlight” was when they attended a reception at the Deputy High Commissioner’s residence in Lagos in 2018.
Speaking to British Vogue, Campbell described the King as “approachable” and “at his most charming” during the event in Lagos.
“I have respect that he cares to visit Africa and is passionate about what is happening on the continent,” she said. “I give people credit when they get up and take action – go to see places and see with their own eyes.”
Campbell, who is of Afro-Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican descent, continued: “I think [Charles] understands the importance of what the African continent is, and will be, in the future, and how important it is to include the continent on the global stage.”
She concluded with a message to the King, wishing him “a great reign and all the success”.
During the 2018 event, the model described Charles as looking “amazing”, adding: “He doesn’t look his age, his spirit is young. I told him that his spirit was young.”
She also praised him for bringing “light and focus” to Africa, adding that it meant “a great deal”.
“He’s such an example to me,” Campbell said of the then-Prince of Wales. “His commitment to the Commonwealth, that’s amazing. I am very grateful.”
Ahead of the coronation, representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries are calling on the King to acknowledge and apologise for the impacts and ongoing legacy from British “genocide and colonisation”.
King Charles will be crowned alongside Queen Consort Camilla this weekend in Britain’s first coronation ceremony in more than 70 years. The last ceremony was held in 1953, when the late Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne at age 25.
The UK will enjoy a celebratory weekend, with a grand procession following the historic ceremony that will see Charles and Camilla returning to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
On Sunday, there will be a coronation concert staged by the BBC, featuring headliners Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That. The following day is a bank holiday.
