HRH attends The Prince’s Trust ‘Youth Can Do It’ event

Tonight The Prince of Wales attended a Prince’s Trust event celebrating businesses and entrepreneurs that have been supported by the charity.

During the Youth Can Do It event, His Royal Highness walked through a marketplace of pop-up stalls meeting young entrepreneurs who have received mentorship, practical guidance and, in some cases, financial support from The Prince’s Trust.

The event also marked the 10th anniversary of The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Fellowship, a network of leading entrepreneurs who are committed to supporting and inspiring the next generation of business leaders.

The Prince's Trust, which The Prince of Wales set up in 1976, helps 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed or struggling at school to transform their lives.

Fashion designer Ozwald Boateng also attended the Youth Can Do It reception, and described how a grant from The Prince's Trust gave him the confidence to succeed.

Boateng, known for his unique twist on classic British tailoring, said the money, which helped pay for a sewing machine, not only set him on his way but the belief it engendered was priceless.

Speaking at event, Mr Boateng said: "The key was being believed in. At the end of the day when someone bets on you, that gives you another layer of confidence and I have to say in business that's the most important point.

"Because confidence and belief is a big percentage - if I didn't believe in what I was doing it would never happen."

After receiving funds from The Trust in 1986 he went on to design outfits for well-known men including Sir Mick Jagger and Jamie Foxx.

One of the young people who met His Royal Highness was Dominique Parlatt, who completed the Enterprise programme and has launched two successful businesses - a fitness company, Warriors, and a cosmetics line.

Ms Parlatt was a young carer from the age of seven who left school with no qualifications and spent several years in short-term jobs.

She said: "Tonight's event has been incredible - it's so inspiring to meet entrepreneurs who have built up such innovative and successful businesses, even exceeding their own expectations in some cases. It's so important to dream big, and that's exactly what The Trust inspires people to do."