Britain's Prince Charles has paid tribute to late actress Lynda Bellingham, admitting she will be "hugely missed".
The 65-year-old royal praised the late star, who died on Sunday (19.10.14) aged 66 after battling colon cancer, for being a fantastic ambassador for his charity PRIME (Prince's Initiative for Mature Enterprise) and a "marvellous actress".
Speaking to delegates at the launch of his new PRIME initiative in London yesterday (23.10.14), he said: "Before referring to the work of PRIME, I did just want to pay, if I may, a special tribute to Lynda Bellingham, who was, as many of you know, a wonderful ambassador for PRIME.
Personally I was greatly saddened to learn that she had passed away. As you know, she was not only a marvellous actress but also someone who worked tirelessly for others.
"So she really will be hugely missed."
The 'Faith in the Future' star - whose cancer later spread to her lungs and liver - was previously invited to the event, which saw the launch of a campaign to encourage employers to give jobs to some of the 1.1 million, dubbed the "missing million", who are 50 and over and want to work again, but had to politely decline due to her illness.
Following his tribute to Lynda, Charles called for employers to take on more people aged 50 and over, describing older workers as a "valuable asset".
He said: "For what it's worth, to me one key fact revealed by this research is that employing older people does not mean younger people are crowded out of the labour market.
"The number of jobs in the economy is not set. There is room to employ younger people and older people in a mix of skills and experience that creates better business.
"This research makes it clear that older workers are not a burden but a valuable asset."
Tagged in Prince Charles Lynda Bellingham