Prince William marked the end of his year as a charity patron last night (05.11.08).
Popular on LondonNet
The royal attended The Grand Finale evening – a concert and dinner for 500 guests – to celebrate both the end of his time with Wellbeing of Women, and the announcement that the charity will be benefiting from the Lord Mayor’s appeal.
Every year London’s Lord Mayor raises money for selected charities, and Wellbeing of Women – which funds research into women’s health – was chosen this year, along with blindness prevention charity Orbis.
William said: “It is fantastic that enough money has been raised for the two charities to develop their life-saving projects and I look forward to following the progress of these valuable initiatives in the future.”
During the evening, the 26-year-old prince was entertained by teenage classical violinist Jennifer Pike at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Jennifer, who won the BBC Young Musician of the Year aged 12 in 2002, performed Mendelssohn’s violin concerto in E minor and was accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra.
After the hour-long concert, William met Jennifer – who was wearing a stunning red dress – and praised her musical prowess. He also revealed he had learned to play the drums and trumpet when he was at school.
Jennifer, 18, said: “We were also talking about contemporary music and film music. He is so down to earth.”
After the concert, William and other guests – including Lord Mayor David Lewis – enjoyed an opulent dinner at the Guildhall.
Wellbeing of Women plans to use the money raised to set up a research programme into complications which can arise during pregnancy.
Liz Campbell, Director of Wellbeing of Women, said: “We are thrilled that the Lord Mayor has chosen to honour us by supporting Wellbeing of Women through his appeal.”
