The Prince of Wales attended the Prince’s Trust Awards Trophy Ceremony on Thursday, celebrating the young people whose stories, he said, “have moved me, made me laugh and cry.”
At the ceremony, hosted at St James’s Palace in London, Prince Charles was joined by celebrities including television presenter Kate Garraway, Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant, and singer Craig David.
The Prince’s Trust Awards are presented to young people who have overcome adversity in their personal lives and turned themselves around with help from the charity. The ceremony took place online earlier this year—hosted by Ant and Dec—and the reception at St James’s Palace allowed the winners to meet with Prince Charles and other supporters of the charity.
In a speech to those present, Prince Charles said that he was proud of all the young people recognised, noting that these achievements are commendable due to the “incredible amount of effort and determination they’ve put into all this.”
He added that when he first created The Prince’s Trust in 1976, he recognised the challenges that disadvantaged youths faced, but although some of those challenges have changed, “the overall mission of giving people self-confidence, self-esteem and better opportunities, remains the same.”
Prince Charles also recognised the opportunities for those who benefit from The Prince’s Trust, noting that the future is bright, and the charity is “determined to help support young people into employment and enterprise in the rapidly changing global market, including of course the fast-growing green economy.”
He continued: “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Prince’s Trust’s mission is more relevant now than ever, particularly as the pandemic has made the need to help young people prepare for the world of work even more urgent. Every young person deserves a chance to succeed and the young people here today have shown that, with the right support, they can fulfil their potential and go on to achieve tremendous things.”
Hugh Dennis, a British comedian, attended the awards ceremony and told Hello! afterwards, “I’ve supported The Prince’s Trust for quite a few years now. I just think they do such a fantastic job because there are so many barriers to success for young people.
“The Prince’s Trust just helps them through, it’s just fantastic to see the stories and how they work out, and how success comes, and the different forms of success, whether it’s setting up businesses or wellbeing, they’re supported from underneath and it’s an amazing network they’ve got.”
