Screen queen at Royal Ascot
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join the Queen to honour Commonwealth youngsters at the palace
Dame Helen Mirren presented the prize for the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot yesterday. The Queen, once played by the actress, also attended the final day of the meeting.
BETWEEN them, they are fighting mental health stigma, tackling violence against women and quite literally saving lives around the Commonwealth, all in the name of the Queen.
Little wonder that the Duke of Sussex is feeling “hugely optimistic” about the future of the Queen’s Young Leaders programme.
The Duke, who will be joined by his new wife at a Buckingham Palace reception to honour them, said today’s generation holds the key to tackling the world’s biggest issues as the Queen honours them for their quiet, diligent work in their communities.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: “I I have really enjoyed oyed meeting so many of them over the e past four years, and their passion and nd understanding always leaves me e hugely optimistic about the future.” ure.”
The project, launched five years ago, will see community stars from around nd the Commonwealth meet Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace alace to receive words of encouragement ncouragement about their future. re.
This year, the e Duchess of Sussex will attend the Queen’s Young Leaders reception for the first time, as the newly-wed ed couple embark on their eir own work to continue nue the Queen’s lifetime e of Commonwealth service. vice.
Among the award ward win- ners are a young man who has saved 1,000 lives by setting up an app for emergency response, and a Londoner who grew up in a single-parent family on a council estate and now works to encourage people with a similar background into medicine.
“When the Queen tells you you’ve done a good job, that changes everything,” said Rahat Hossain, who set up an app to coordinate the emergency response to disasters in Bangladesh. Leanne Armitage, 23, who grew up in an area blighted by knife crime and now runs Leanne’s Amazing Medics to encourage others to follow her into medicine, said: “For us to be doing something important in our communities to improve people’s lives, and be recognised for that and celebrated, it’s really honourable.”
Hunter Johnson, founder of The Man Cave – which teaches young men about positive relationships and their own mental health – said: “Young people are often seen as a problem to be solved, and it it’s s such a flip on the message to have the profile p and the platform to get the good news about the Common Commonwealth out there.” Hauwa O Ojeifo, who founded She Write Writes Women and a helpline which w has already helped more than 200 women in Nigeria, said: “For me me, what I’m taking away is validation and I think w we all need that sometim sometimes.”
The Du Duke of Sussex said: “I have s seen time and time again… th that today’s generation under understands something very import important: that to tackle a big issue, you need to focus on the root c causes of the challenge, not its it symptoms. “The Qu Queen’s Young Leaders are having hav an incredible impact in their respective countries because b they have adopted this mindset.”