King Charles III got some advice from Lionel Richie after missing out on Thursday’s star-studded gala for the New York City expansion of The King’s Trust.
While His Majesty returned to public duties Tuesday, he could not be there for the debut of the charity’s new name. Originally titled The Prince’s Trust, the foundation changed names to match Charles’ new title.
“I told him, ‘Stand still. Just recover,’” Richie shared with the attendees. “We’ve got many more of these galas to do in the future.”
KING CHARLES VISITS CANCER CENTER AS MONARCH RETURNS TO PUBLIC DUTIES FOLLOWING DIAGNOSIS
The Prince’s Trust was founded in 1976 when then-Prince Charles used his severance pay from the Royal Navy to launch the nonprofit dedicated to helping unemployed young people in the United Kingdom get trained for jobs. Since then, the charity has expanded its education and employment initiatives into 25 countries.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the trust will continue to help young people around the world to build those key skills to support them into employment,” Charles said in a statement read to the audience, offering his regrets for being unable to attend the event. “Together, we can build a better future for the next generation.”
Richie along with other celebrities such as Kate Moss, Emily Ratajkowski, Ashley Graham, Dominic West, Sam Smith and John Legend, and Michaela Jae Rodriguez were on hand to lead Thursday’s event.
Kate Beckinsale, Helena Christensen and Joan Smalls also attended.
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“I think it’s important that we show up for the kids who want to strive, who want to have something that they can live for,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press. “We want to make make sure that they know they can do it.”
The King’s Trust has already begun working in three American cities – New York, Chicago and Detroit.
The charity is ready to launch an American version of the Get Hired program, which puts on job fairs and provides $500 grants to members of the program to buy items to assist in job searching.
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King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis in February.
“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.”
Charles’ specific cancer diagnosis is currently unknown.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
