Idris Elba is one of the most successful British actors at the moment, but it turns out that Prince Charles had a little role to play in his journey to success.
The actor gripped the nation as DCI John Luther, shot to stardom with roles in blockbusters like the Avengers series, and has even been tipped to be the next James Bond.
But before all of this, Prince Charles had a little role to play in getting Idris on the right path.
A few years back, Idris revealed that he received help through Prince Charles’ charity The Prince’s Trust, which provides grants for young people facing economic hardship.
The then-budding actor left school in hopes to join the National Youth Music Theatre, and the grant helped him achieve that dream.
“I left school at 16 with dreams of attending the National Youth Music Theatre but was disheartened when I realised how much it would cost,” he told the Mirror in 2013.
“It was The Prince’s Trust who made it possible. They gave me a £1500 grant and set me on the path that would eventually change my life.”
Idris has since become a Prince’s Trust ambassador, and it’s thought that’s how he became close friends with Prince Harry, and attended his wedding in 2018.
Idris and his wife Sabrina at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 (Credit: Getty)
The revelation came to light again after his wife, Sabrina, spoke to Sunday Times Style Magazine about attending the royal wedding at Windsor Castle.
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“Every single person I know just saw me walk into this wedding on TV – and I don’t even know how to explain that feeling. It definitely went from being ‘Sabrina from Vancouver’ to – I don’t even know what to call it now!”, she told the publication.
In fact, her phone started blowing up after her friends and family spotted her on TV.
“It has never been so busy,” she said. “I didn’t look at it, out of respect, but I could feel it dinging.”
