Tom Hiddleston delivered a touching speech on behalf of King Charles at The Prince’s Trust gala dinner this week.
The Loki actor, 43, who is an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, attended the charity’s Invest in Futures event in London, where he relayed a powerful message from the monarch.
King Charles, 75, has historically attended the annual event, however this year he was noticeably absent as he took a step back from engagements after his shock cancer diagnosis.
A clip from the occasion was shared on the The Prince’s Trust Instagram account this weekend, showing Tom delivering His Majesty’s note, which read: ‘I really am so pleased that The Trust’s work continues to go from strength to strength, having, in recent years, expanded from its mission in the United Kingdom to now supporting young people in twenty-three countries.
‘Celebrating the global impact of this work is an achievement which, I must confess, I could not have dreamed of back in 1976 when I started The Trust, using, at that time, my Royal Navy severance pay when I left the Service to help disadvantaged young people achieve their full potential.
I am enormously inspired by the determination and commitment of young people, one of whom you will hear from later. They are changemakers; they will shape the world’s future and we must support them to realise their dreams.
‘Looking ahead, I very much hope The Trust can continue to help young people and communities to understand the immeasurable difference they can make to our society when they choose positive paths in life and achieve their goals. That way they can help and build a brighter future. CHARLES R.’
The black-tie event – which was held on Thursday – is a fundamental fundraising event for The Prince’s Trust Invest in Futures since it was first established in 2005.
Invest in Futures is part of The Prince’s Trust, a non-profit organization founded by King Charles III in 1976 to help vulnerable young people across the UK.
With the help of generous donors, the scheme has raised £24 million since its conception. The money has gone on to help approximately 23,000 young people from around the UK.
The event in the heart of London’s Belgravia aimed to raise a whopping £1million pounds, according to the charity’s website.
The evening offered entertainment for philanthropists, supporters, and Celebrity Ambassadors who are keen to change the lives of young people across the UK.
It comes after it was revealed that Prince William and Princess Anne are set to take over the reins from exhausted Queen Camilla as she takes a well-deserved break from work to jet off on a holiday overseas.
Her Majesty has been holding down the royal fort since King Charles’ shock cancer diagnosis, completing 13 official engagements solo since her husband’s condition came to light.
Camilla, 76, has no royal engagements planned this week and will spend a few days of private downtime with her family before jetting off on a private flight tomorrow.
She will be back in action on March 11 to represent the King at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Charles will instead release a video message to mark the occasion.
Last week she led the royal family at a memorial service for King Constantine of Greece at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, after William, 41, was forced to suddenly pull out of the service for his godfather due to an unspecified ‘personal reason’.
His absence was not believed to be related to his wife, the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen publicly since undergoing abdominal surgery at the beginning of the year, or the sudden death of Thomas Kingston.
It left Camilla as the last key royals standing last week – sparking some concerns about the stripped back monarchy and questions of who is in charge during a time when so many key royals are out of the picture.
A Royal source told The Sunday Times: ‘Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution.
‘She has been buoyed by the public’s reaction. She has found reserves of energy that even she didn’t think she had, and the estimation of her by those inside the palace has soared as she has put her shoulder to the wheel.’
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Another, close to the Queen, added: ‘Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going while the King is off public duties. The King is proud and pleased to see the show is being kept on the road by the Queen and the wider family.’
While Camilla enjoys a well-deserved rest, William, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are set to undertake engagements as normal.
Camilla has been the most senior royal completing engagements, with the King continuing to work behind the scenes on his red boxes and other official duties while he undergoes treatment.
This included an engagement on Valentine’s Day, when Camilla went solo to Grosvenor House in London to an event celebrating Shakespeare, of whom the King, 75, is a lifelong fan.
Royal author Ingrid Seward told The Sun on Sunday that Charles would have insisted his wife take a break.
She said: ‘He will see that she is exhausted. Camilla has had the ultimate worry about her husband’s health, but she has also been the one who has had to step up to the busy schedule of Royal engagements as well as wanting to be there for him and Kate while they each have had their health issues.
‘She certainly deserves some rest and relaxation.’
In what has become a typically busy solo schedule, last week Camilla led the royal family at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece in Windsor, hosted a reception for the ‘500 words’ children’s creative writing competition at Buckingham Palace and met the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at Clarence House.
A royal source told The Sunday Times that, while she never expected to lead the royal family, Camilla is ‘absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution’ and has been ‘buoyed’ by the public support since the King’s diagnosis.
It was also reported that Charles was ‘proud’ of his wife for keeping the show on the road.
Her public presence has also filled the gap left by the much-noted absence of the Princess of Wales, 42, which last week was the subject of hysterical social media speculation.
Kate continues to recover from abdominal surgery in Windsor and will not resume duties until after Easter.
The implosion in online theories about the Princess’s health swirled last week after William, 41, pulled out of the service for King Constantine at the last minute due to a ‘personal matter’.
He returned to work on Thursday, where he visited a London synagogue, before visiting Wales on Friday for St David’s Day.