King Charles III hosted a garden celebration at Buckingham Palace on Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust, the youth charity he founded in 1976 using his Royal Navy severance pay during a period of economic hardship in Britain. Formerly known as The Prince’s Trust, the organisation supports disadvantaged young people through education, training and employment programmes in the UK and abroad.

Joined on stage by ambassadors including Idris Elba and DJ Christian St Louis, the King opened an evening celebrating the charity’s impact. Guests included former beneficiaries who had launched businesses with the Trust’s support, alongside volunteers, staff and corporate partners.

The King’s Trust says it has helped more than 1.5 million young people worldwide over the past five decades through education, mentoring and career programmes, and now operates through affiliated organisations in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The charity focuses on unemployed young adults, school leavers at risk of exclusion and aspiring small business founders.

Members of the British royal family have long acted as patrons of charities, but observers note that Charles has maintained unusually direct involvement in youth employment and skills issues since the 1970s, often meeting participants and visiting local projects. Thursday’s event at Buckingham Palace highlighted how the Trust has grown from a small UK initiative into an international network promoting skills, confidence and entrepreneurship among young people facing social and economic barriers.