On Monday 11 May, we came together at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall to join A King’s Trust Celebration, a special evening marking 50 years of The King’s Trust in the UK and celebrating the young people and volunteers whose resilience continue to shape brighter futures around the world.
In partnership with TK Maxx and Homesense, the event honoured the remarkable journey from The Prince’s Trust to The King’s Trust since His Majesty King Charles III founded the charity in 1976. What began as a response to rising youth unemployment in the UK has grown into a global network of programmes supporting young people aged 11 to 30 to develop skills, start businesses and build lasting independence across more than 25 countries.
Over the past 50 years, The Trust has supported more than 1.3 million young people to gain the confidence, skills and opportunities they need to move into work, education, training or self-employment, creating life-changing impact both in the UK and around the world.
This milestone year also saw the publication of the Trust’s 50th anniversary social impact report, 50 Years of Working for Young People, which found that its programmes have contributed at least £11.4 billion in value to UK society. For every 10,000 young people supported, an estimated £105 million of societal benefit is created through improved employment outcomes, wellbeing and financial independence.
At a time when nearly 950,000 young people in the UK are out of work, education or training, the findings underline the continued urgency of this work. Three in four young people supported by The King’s Trust move into work, education or training, demonstrating how early intervention and practical support can change the course of a life.
This anniversary celebration was both a reflection on an extraordinary legacy and a reminder that the work is far from finished.
An unforgettable night at the Royal Albert Hall
Hosted by Ant and Dec, the evening brought together music, comedy, powerful storytelling and moments of recognition for the young people whose lives and achievements reflect the mission of The King’s Trust.
For the first time since 2022 and his first time attending as King, His Majesty King Charles III joined the celebration alongside Her Majesty Queen Camilla. As Royal Founding President, His Majesty’s presence marked a particularly significant moment in this 50th anniversary year and reflected five decades of commitment to supporting young people in the UK and across the world.
The evening featured a spectacular performance from Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, alongside an all-star line-up including Sir Rod Stewart, Rita Ora, Ronnie Wood, Anne-Marie and Craig David, blending British icons and rising talent across a night of music and inspiration.
Comedy from Fatiha El-Ghorri and Tom Davis added further energy to the evening, while celebrity ambassadors including Amal Clooney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emma Bunton, Gareth Southgate, Fearne Cotton, Edward Enninful and Lucien Laviscount joined the stage to present awards to this year’s winners.
Celebrating Our Global Winners
The international segment of the evening shone a spotlight on three remarkable young people whose stories reflect the reach and impact of The King’s Trust around the world.
This year’s international winners, Naina, Shannon and Oluchukwu, represent the innovation and resilience of young people creating real change in their communities across India, Australia and Nigeria.
Taking to the Royal Albert Hall stage in front of supporters, partners and ambassadors, each shared a story that demonstrated exactly why investing in young people matters.
Their time in London began before the awards ceremony, with all three winners arriving on Friday for a once-in-a-lifetime week of learning and opportunity.
Throughout the week, they explored some of London’s best-known landmarks, attended a Fulham FC match, enjoyed a special shopping experience with headline partner TK Maxx and met with key supporters and partners of King’s Trus International.
They also had the opportunity to connect with inspirational mentors and ambassadors. Following the event, winners including Naina will also enjoy special experiences with Charlotte Tilbury Beauty and time with the team behind one of our long-standing supporters of women’s empowerment.
These moments were designed not only to celebrate their achievements, but to open doors, build confidence and create lasting memories that reflect the scale of their impact.
Naina, Winner of the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award
Naina from rural India was honoured with the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award, sponsored by Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, in recognition of her extraordinary determination to pursue education and empower other girls to do the same. Her award was presented by Amal Clooney alongside Charlotte Tilbury MBE, celebrating both her personal resilience and the lasting impact she is creating for girls across her community.
Growing up in rural India in a family of eight, Naina was withdrawn from school at an early age. Determined to continue learning, she studied alone at night, holding onto the hope of creating a better future for herself.
Project Lehar, run by the Aga Khan Foundation with support from King’s Trust International, helped Naina to re-enrol in school, supporting her to work with her parents and address their concerns around her education
To pay her own school fees, Naina worked as both a farm labourer and a tutor for younger children, while also inspiring 15 other girls in her village to enrol in school themselves. She has since gone on to support and inspire many more.
Determined that all girls should have the chance to learn and thrive, Naina, now 23, works at Project Lehar herself as a life skills facilitator. Each year she supports hundreds of disadvantaged girls and young women to develop the confidence, skills and opportunities they need to pursue their education and shape their own futures.
Her role, and the financial independence it has brought, has transformed her own life too. After investing some of her earnings in a motorbike, she is now able to travel independently and continue building the future she once fought so hard to access.
As Naina explains: “I used to think only those in big cities could hope for a better future. Now I know opportunities exist everywhere, if we are willing to challenge what is wrong and fight for our goals.”
Oluchukwu, Winner of the Global Young Achiever Award
Oluchukwu from Abuja, Nigeria received the Global Young Achiever Award, sponsored by World Wide Technology, for transforming access to healthcare in his community through innovation, entrepreneurship and determination.
Our 2026 Global Young Achiever Oluchukwu is an outstanding young healthcare entrepreneur from Nigeria, where unforeseen medical costs can quickly plunge low-income families into crisis. Determined to change this, Oluchukwu, 26, has transformed healthcare access in his community through two complementary initiatives: a local pharmacy and affordable ‘health shield’ insurance plan, which sees members pay a small regular subscription fee to access medical care when they need it.
Our Sustainable Enterprise Challenge programme, delivered through the British Council and Octoville Development Company, equipped Oluchuckwu with the skills and strategies to launch his businesses, and steer them to success. As well as providing a critical local service and creating jobs for five other people, Oluchuckwu has also developed tech tools to benefit the wider healthcare sector, such as software to manage medical supplies and avoid shortages.
“I wanted to create innovative solutions that make medicines and healthcare affordable and accessible in my community. I now have the skills, confidence and network to create sustainable solutions.”
Shannon, Winner of the Global Sustainability Award
Shannon from Australia was awarded the Global Sustainability Award, sponsored by Octopus Energy, for tackling both water scarcity and plastic waste through his innovative business, Aqua Ubique.
Global Sustainability Award winner Shannon, 35, is from Australia, the driest inhabited continent on earth. In this hot and hostile climate, Shannon’s business, Aqua Ubique, tackles two problems at once: the environmental impacts of bottled water and the lack of clean tap water among remote rural communities.
Aqua Ubique’s ‘business buddy’ unit creates drinking water by condensing water vapour in the air. By replacing office water coolers with onsite water generators, every unit saves hundreds of plastic bottles each year. ‘Our systems eliminate the plastic waste, diesel deliveries and supply-chain footprint associated with bottled water,’ Shannon explains.
Shannon’s business model extends this innovative technology to the communities facing the greatest water challenges: for every five commercial installations, the company supplies a unit for a rural First Nations community.
King’s Trust Australia’s Enterprise Accelerator programme supported Shannon to develop his business strategy, pricing and sales processes, enabling his company to secure its first customers.
“Our systems eliminate the plastic waste, transport emissions and supply-chain footprint associated with bottled water.”