At Thursday night’s Prince’s Trust gala, British and American attendees alike had King Charles III in mind.
“His Majesty couldn’t be with us tonight,” hairstylist Charlotte Mensah told the room as attendees sat down for dinner. “I think he has something next week.”
The king’s coronation is scheduled for May 6th, one continent away. But on Cipriani South Street in downtown Manhattan, fashion royalty and real royalty rallied last night to support the king’s charity work. Marc Jacobs, Margaret Zhang, Iman, Charlotte Tilbury, and Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece were among those who attended the gala dinner, which supports the Prince’s Trust, a charity that helps young people access education and careers. The event raised more than $1.7 million.
Speaking of life paths, would any of the very public figures in attendance want to be a king or royalty?
“Far too much pressure,” said Ivy Getty.
“Leave it to them,” Kate Moss said.
Rita Ora, who performed at the event, was more excited at the prospect. Wearing a white Richard Quinn gown with evening gloves, she was accompanied by her husband Taika Waititi, whose shirt was unbuttoned low enough to reveal his chest tattoo.
A role in the royal family would be a dream come true for Ms Ora, who grew up in the UK. “It’s like any fairy tale,” she said.
Ms Ora added that the royals she met – King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry – were all surprisingly down to earth.
“They’re quite fun,” she said.
The gala was hosted by British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful and Lionel Richie, who were not present but sent a video message expressing the shock he felt when King Charles asked him to perform at the coronation concert .
Short ribs hit the royal purple tablecloths around 8pm. As the guests nibbled, Doja Cat greeted Mr. Enninful in a crocheted Roberto Cavalli gown with a low-slung belt, and Kate Beckinsale pushed the dramatic skirt of her slime green gown through the doorway to the ballroom.
At least one attendee had a real royal experience to fall back on: Prince Pavlos of Greece, who will attend the coronation next week.
The role can be challenging, he noted. Many celebrities in the space led normal lives before becoming famous, he pointed out, and even they sometimes found being so well known difficult.
“Imagine growing up as a functioning king where you were always watched,” he said.
That scrutiny is being heightened for the younger generation of royals, who have grown up in an era where everyone has a camera handy, he added.
“You have nowhere to hide,” he said. “You have to be more at your game than you used to be.”
As Ms. Ora strummed the opening chords of the song “Ritual,” Prince Pavlos was smitten to join his wife, Princess Marie-Chantal.
Model Winnie Harlow, who attended the gala with Tommy Hilfiger, was less sympathetic to the monarchy.
“I’m Jamaican and I want us to stand alone and get our money back from them that they owe us as Caribbean islands,” she said.
Ms Harlow said she came to the gala anyway because she supports the Prince’s Trust’s work helping young people.
“I feel like I didn’t have that many opportunities when I was young,” she said. “I wanted to be an example of someone who didn’t have the opportunities but could assert themselves.”
At 10:15pm, Idris Elba took the stage to share how a small grant from the Prince’s Trust had supported him early in his acting career. He encouraged guests to bid on auction items, including a flight on Mr. Richie’s private jet and a voyage across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.
Over a dessert of chocolate-covered strawberries, models and designers – who suggested they were more looking forward to Monday’s Met Gala than the coronation – mingled with royalists.
Margot McKinney, the Australian jewelry designer, said she was planning to fly to London to be in town for Coronation Day. Her father attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
What would suitable jewelry for the celebrations look like? “Just like that,” she said, pointing to an Oreo-sized opal resting on her breastbone.
Model Precious Lee confessed that she was a British monarchy nerd. She said she’s particularly liked the recent spate of books and TV shows “that share different parts of the story, parts that have probably been explored in a little less detail.”
Ms. Lee was recently crowned one of the ‘new supers’ on a Vogue cover heralding today’s supermodels.
For Ms. Lee, becoming king didn’t feel like a reach. “I’m like, aren’t I?” She said.
Quick question is a collection of stories from red carpets, gala dinners and other events that lure celebrities from their hiding places.
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