Helen Mirren joins Ant and Dec at Palace to celebrate King

Entertainment
15 May 2026 • 12:36 AM MYT
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King Charles III welcomed a host of stars, ambassadors and award recipients to Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

The monarch hosted a special Royal Garden Party marking the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust.

Held in the Palace gardens in central London, the celebration brought together supporters of the charity founded by the King in 1976, when he was Prince of Wales.

Formerly known as The Prince’s Trust, the organisation helps young people aged 11 to 30 with education, employment, enterprise and confidence-building programmes.

It has supported more than one million people over the past five decades.

Among those greeted by the monarch during the afternoon reception were Damian Lewis, Helen Mirren, model and broadcaster Myleene Klass, DJ and producer Carl Cox, and television personality Tasha Ghouri.

Adventurer and author Laura Bingham was also among the guests, alongside Victoria Nightscales, this year’s King’s Trust England Award recipient.

One of the lighter moments of the afternoon came when the King was shown The Year Book by Declan Donnelly, one half of the presenting duo Ant and Dec.

Image from: Helen Mirren joins Ant and Dec at Palace to celebrate King
Helen Mirren | Source: GETTY

Photographs captured the monarch studying the commemorative book with Mr Donnelly and other guests gathered around him in the Palace grounds.

The King also spent time greeting supporters individually.

He shook hands with Dame Helen Mirren and chatted with guests from across the charity’s network of alumni, volunteers, ambassadors and young achievers.

The Buckingham Palace reception followed Monday night’s major anniversary celebration at Royal Albert Hall.

Image from: Helen Mirren joins Ant and Dec at Palace to celebrate King
Ant and Dec | Source: PA

That evening, the King and Queen attended a star-studded event to launch the week of commemorations.

Their Majesties were welcomed on the red carpet by Anthony McPartlin and Mr Donnelly, who hosted the televised celebration.

More than 4,000 guests, including charity beneficiaries, ambassadors and celebrity supporters, gathered to celebrate the Trust’s impact over the past half-century.

Image from: Helen Mirren joins Ant and Dec at Palace to celebrate King
King Charles | Source: GETTY

The event also recognised this year’s award winners and highlighted the charity’s work in helping young people move into work, education and training.

Ant and Dec have been long-standing supporters of the Trust and were named goodwill ambassadors in 2021, working with the charity on media training programmes designed to help young people break into the industry.

Thursday’s garden party saw thousands of invited guests gather on the lawns of Buckingham Palace.

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