King Charles reflects on his own mortality toasting 50 years of the King’s Trust at Christie’s New York

On a cool night in midtown Manhattan, King Charles and Queen Camilla headed to Christie’s—their final stop in a whirlwind day in New York City—to celebrate both 50 years of the King’s Trust, and the UK’s cultural impact on New York. “It’s a wonderfully proud but extraordinary moment to think that it’s 50 years since I started this Trust,” King Charles said in brief remarks. “Quite difficult to get it off the ground in the first place, but we did.”

The reception, which also recognized, as the King put it, the “enduring cultural bond” between the U.S. and the UK, was held at Christie’s New York, located in Rockefeller Center. Among the guests were Caroline Kennedy, Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren, Karlie Kloss, Iman, Meghann Fahy, Leo Woodall, and T&C’s very own Stellene Volandes.

Richie speaks in front of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The royals pose with young people from Chicago and New York who have taken part in the King’s Trust Global Enterprise Challenges.

The King’s Trust, founded in 1976 as the Prince’s Trust, focuses on uplifting young people to provide them the tools to start careers. When Queen Elizabeth granted the organization a royal charter, in 1999, she told her son, “I would like to take this opportunity to say to you, Charles, how proud I am of everything you have accomplished with the Trust and the way you, personally, have inspired this organization.” In the decades since, the charity has expanded to the U.S., with this year marking the fifth annual King’s Trust Global Gala.

“This is this is an honor,” Richie, one of the gala’s co-chairs (along with Edward Enninful and Charlotte Tilbury) said in his remarks at the reception. “They actually wrote a speech for me but I actually feel that I know this gentleman from the heart,” he said, referring to King Charles. “When I met him, we didn’t have too much in common in terms of the way we grew up. And then we started talking, and we realized we’re from the same place; we have the same heart. Then we started getting involved with people who automatically have the same heart, who have that same philanthropic [mindset] of: How can we help kids?”

(King Charles later joked of Richie, “I’m really mad that he isn’t singing this evening, I don’t know how he does it, he must gargle with port or something,” to big laughs in the room.)

Natasha Poonawalla, left, and Madison Headrick Nahmad at the King’s Trust Global Gala.

Indian philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla was among the well-dressed guests who met the King during the reception that was held directly before the King’s Trust Global Gala. (King Charles and Queen Camilla did not stay for the gala dinner, instead leaving New York to return to Blair House in Washington, D.C.) “I’m really honored to be here tonight at the King’s Trust Gala, especially at such an important moment for the organization,” Poonawalla told T&C. “I’ve always found King Charles’s commitment to service incredibly inspiring, particularly the way he’s championed young people and created more opportunity over the years.”

She added, “That’s something I care deeply about too; a lot of my work is focused on making sure every child, no matter where they’re born, has the chance to feel safe, to learn, and to really thrive. Nights like this are a great reminder of what’s possible when people come together with a shared purpose.”

By the end of the night, the gala had raised over $3 million to “tackle the global crisis in youth unemployment,” per the Trust, making it the most successful King’s Trust gala held in New York to date.

Nina Dobrev and Meghann Fahy inside the dinner, which welcomed just 160 guests.

Welsh Singer Katherine Jenkins and husband Andrew Levitas inside the gala. She holds a Queen’s Cygnature Martini.

Inside the dinner, guests dined on asparagus salad and filet mignon, were served the “Queen’s Cygnature Martini” created by Cygnet Gin, a spirits company founded by Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins. “We’re fiercely proud Welsh and British brand,” she told T&C, nothing that she was honored to create a special cocktail for the evening. That drink was inspired by Queen Camilla, who “appreciates her beautifully made gin.” Jenkins added, “We wanted to craft something that felt like keeping with her spirit—British, refined, unfussy, full of character.” The drink had a finishing touch of a lemon strip, meant to resemble a fascinator, a playful nod to the Queen. “Everything that we’re trying to do is about timeless luxury—not to dazzle loudly, but to charm completely in a gracious and modern way.”

Jenkins has been involved with the King’s Trust for 20 years; she sang at celebrations for the then-Prince’s Trust 30th birthday and the 40th birthday. “I come from very humble background in South Wales, and I’ve been so blessed with my career path that really started because somebody believed in me,” Jenkins said. “That’s the whole message of the Trust: It exists to unlock potential, to empower young people from all backgrounds to build confidence and gain skills and give them a brighter future.”

The event, she said, felt “globally significant because it’s celebrating the life-changing work that the King’s Trust does in giving opportunity to pioneering young people. To be doing that in the presence of Their Majesties, whose commitment to young peoples has been very inspiring over the years, [is] wonderful.”

The real highlight of the events came early in the evening, when King Charles spoke in the Christie’s gallery to a packed, yet intimate crowd. In fact, his comments recalled his first speech as British monarch, when he said, “My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”

In New York, the King reflected briefly on his own morality, and his hope that the work of the King’s Trust will continue long past him. “As we look to the future,” he said, “I won’t see the long distance future, but I’m enormously grateful to you all for what you can all do as supporters to help this vital endeavor—to champion the next generation, ensuring that their talent and ambition continue to strengthen our societies for many years to come.”