By Elizabeth Willoughby on
Prince Charles didn’t feel that celebrating his 60th birthday last week was any reason to break from charity work, so he attended the launch of a new project run by his Prince's Trust.
The one-week campaign, called Youth Week, aimed to overshadow negative gang-crime press by highlighting the positive contributions young people are making in society.
“Young people are more likely to do voluntary work than any other age group,” said Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Trust. “We need to celebrate our nation’s youth.”
Through thousands of Trust community projects, young people have contributed nearly £100 million to local areas across the UK.
During a Royal visit to the Trust last month, Queen Elizabeth said, “[Prince Philip and I] are both enormously proud to have been reminded here today of [Prince Charles’] personal contribution to this remarkable organization.”
Actress Emma Thompson is also impressed with the Prince’s work over the past decades. Unable to attend his birthday in person, Thompson gave interviews to publicly congratulate him. “He’s a remarkable guy who just spends his entire time working to make the world slightly less tricky to be in. Everything he said when he was a young man – that he was ridiculed for by the British press – is all coming to pass. He’s much loved by many, and especially by me.”
“For Prince Philip and me,” said the Queen at Prince Charles’ birthday celebration, “there can be no greater pleasure or comfort than to know that into his care are safely entrusted the guiding principles of public service and duty to others.”
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
