King Charles celebrates personal high with emotional video inside private home

The King appeared blown away as he spoke about the impact his youth charity has had as it prepares to mark its 50^th anniversary.

Charles, 77, then as the Prince of Wales, set up The King's Trust (formerly The Prince's Trust) in 1976 with his navy severance pay to fund a number of community initiatives during a time of record unemployment, spiralling inflation, riots and unrest.  

New research shows that the charity has contributed at least £11.4 billion to society through its programmes. It comes as the Trust prepares to launch its 50^th anniversary social impact report next week, supported by long-standing partner TK Maxx.

"When I began what is now The King's Trust in 1976, I could not possibly have imagined the impact that it would have," the King remarked in a moving new video message.

Speaking from Clarence House, the monarch continued: "In the beginning, I hoped that by supporting young people to develop their latent skills and to find work or training, The Trust would perhaps be able to help change some individuals' lives for the better.

"Now, as you can perhaps imagine, I am so very pleased and proud that The Trust's work continues to go from strength to strength, having in that time helped over 1.3 million young people grow their confidence, continue in education, secure sustainable jobs and over 92,000 young people in the UK alone, having been supported to start a business, thus enabling them all to build brighter futures."

© Getty Images

According to The Trust's research, in the last decade alone, an estimated £3.9bn in social value has come from improving the outcomes for all young people who have participated in the charity's programmes. This includes £2.6 billion from supporting young people into employment, self-employment and volunteering and £785 million from increases in wellbeing.  

© The King's Trust

The King added: "I firmly believe in the guiding principle on which my Trust was founded, that young people can make an enormous contribution to society when they are given the confidence and skills to realise their potential. While the challenges young people face may change with the times, their spirit and resilience remain constant."

As he thanked staff, volunteers and supporters for their "heroic efforts," Charles vowed: "My Trust will continue to stand beside them, building confidence and skills for the ever changing world of work so that they can go on to have stable and fulfilling lives for many years to come."