Prince Charles celebrated 10 years of the British Asian Trust on Tuesday night (06.02.18) at a special anniversary dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Charles
The 69-year-old royal was joined by his wife, Duchess Camilla, at the event to mark 10 years since the trust was opened by himself back in Glasgow in 2007.
He said: "My wife and I could not be more delighted to be with all of you this evening in order to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of my British Asian Trust. It hardly seems possible that a decade has passed since we launched the Trust on a rain-sodden cricket pitch in Glasgow on what might be called a typical Summer's day in July 2007 ...
"When I first had the initial idea for the Trust, following my visits to India and Pakistan in 2006, I could scarcely have dared to dream that it would have the remarkable success that it has since enjoyed and that it would touch the lives of so many people in need across South Asia.
"And yet, perhaps, I should not be surprised that it has succeeded as it has because, at its heart, the Trust is driven by the extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit of the British Asian Community."
And the Prince of Wales offered his thanks to all those who have made the trust a success over the last decade.
He added: "None of these new initiatives - or indeed any of the remarkable achievements of the past decade - would be possible without the support of so many of you. There are, I fear, far more people deserving of my special gratitude than I could ever mention tonight without keeping you all here until well after midnight.
"But, in marking ten years of the British Asian Trust, I particularly want to thank all of the Trustees who have devoted their time and energy to making the Trust a success and, in particular, to Manoj Badale who, I understand, has just turned fifty, but some how he seems to have discovered the secret of eternal youth over the past decade! Not a grey hair in sight. Quite how he has managed this remains a mystery as I rather thought that working for me in any capacity was bound to age anybody extremely rapidly!"
Tagged in Prince Charles