British rapper Naughty Boy has admitted he was “petrified” when he was first asked to perform at Buckingham Palace in front of the Prince of Wales.
Shahid Khan, known by his stage name Naughty Boy, performed with Bollywood star Kanika Kapoor in front of Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall on Tuesday evening.
Set to perform his hit songs Running and La La La for the anniversary dinner of the British Asian Trust, he said: “I was really petrified initially because there’s so much powerful energy here, but it felt right that I should be doing this.”
Khan, an ambassador for the Trust, who has worked with Ed Sheeran, Emile Sande, and Tinie Tempah in the past, added: “It’s an honour to perform at the Palace.”
Charles, who founded the British Asian Trust in 2007, hosted some 200 guests to celebrate the Trust’s 10th anniversary.
The Trust works to combat poverty in South Asia.
He was joined by Camilla, who was wearing a Bruce Oldfield dress.
Charles used the dinner to discuss the Trust’s new 10 million US dollar (£7.2 million) Development Impact Bond, aimed at providing education to 200,000 Indian children.
The prince told the guests: “The British Asian community has excelled in almost every area of life, whether it be academia, the arts, media, or of course business, and has made a profound and indispensable contribution to the United Kingdom for many decades.”
He continued: “The diaspora is characterised, perhaps above all, by an extraordinary generosity and deeply held desire to help those who are most vulnerable and in need.
“The passion that my wife and I feel for the work of my British Asian Trust is driven by what we have seen for ourselves during our visits to South Asia when, as most recently in India last November, we have both been so deeply touched by the tremendously positive impact that the Trust is having on the ground.”
Speaking before his performance, Naughty Boy praised the Trust for promoting cultural and racial diversity, and said it was “amazing” to see Meghan Markle, who is mixed-race, entering the Royal Family.
“I think this is part of the future,” he said.
“The whole culture is shifting to accepting just everything. For the Royal Family to spearhead that – I think that’s amazing.”
He also spoke of the grant he received from The Prince’s Trust, a charity set up by Charles, in 2005: “It’s helped me with my journey bringing me here, so the prince and me, we have a long history.”
The dinner also saw attendance from Matt Hancock, the Culture Secretary, and Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary.