Recently, I had the opportunity of interacting with King Charles III and the Queen Consort. at an event organised by the British Asian Trust at the Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh. It bears considerable testimony to His Majesty’s commitment to the Commonwealth, that he chose this forum amongst his earliest public engagements posts the late Queen’s funeral.

I have always admired His Majesty’s contributions towards organic farming, sustainable ecology and alternative medicine. He listened to my views on these matters with sincere attention and complimented me deeply on our work in multicultural marketing, clearly a subject close to his heart. While being deeply humbled by his interest, it reinforced my belief in his inclusive and contemporary worldview taken by the Monarchy as a whole. This week even the newly anointed Prince of Wales; Prince William honoured his late grandmother by picking up her mantel with renewed commitment expressed towards our Environment its conservation goals.

The event arranged through the British Asian Trust was truly magnificent occasion and to those uninitiated, this Trust is a diaspora-driven development organisation focussed on South Asia. They have a clear focus on social finance products to be the catalysts of change along with a focus on the reduction of poverty and disadvantages in South Asia. Four major areas of influence include Anti-Trafficking, Education, Livelihoods and Mental Health – in sum providing an integrated platform for addressing both timeless and contemporary development issues.

British Asian Trust’s recent interventions include significant support to the Pakistan flood relief efforts, which have been causing much anguish in the country. An emergency food and medical relief engagement was conducted in Sri Lanka during the recent economic crisis while elephant conservation in the Northeastern parts of India has been an ongoing activity. These are just a few of an entire series of programmes undertaken by the Trust over the years.

As we step in optimistically to the Carolean Era, the spontaneous and intrinsic commitment of King Charles III to South Asian causes is a subject of genuine inspiration. It augurs very well for the next phase of Multicultural Britain, where holistic alignment and common fulfilling agendas are encouraged. It was indeed an honour to engage with the King and the Queen Consort and there are many learnings I take home from this privileged interaction.