The Prince and I: Now Gwyneth Paltrow rubs shoulders with Charles

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Gwyneth Paltrow spent last night dining with pop royalty and today she mingled with the Prince of Wales at a charity event in London.

After her girls' only evening with Madonna, the Hollywood actress graced the red carpet this afternoon at the UK finals of the Celebrate Success Awards held at The Odeon in London's Leicester Square.

The actress, who wore a grey frock and black cropped jacket, arrived alone - there was still no sight of her husband, Coldplay front man Chris Martin.

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Greetings, Your Highness: Prince Charles and Gwyneth Paltrow, with actor Kevin Spacey (centre) make one another's acquaintance at a charity event in London today

The ceremony was organised by the Prince's Trust, a charity established by Prince Charles more than 30 years ago.

Gwyneth, sporting a new shoulder-length hairstyle, revealed: "I am a great admirer of The Prince of Wales. The work he has done through his charity to help young people is quite remarkable."

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VIPs: Prince Charles and Gwyneth Paltrow arrived at a ceremony organised by the Prince's Trust in London today

She later paid tribute to a reformed heroin and crack addict who has set up a business educating thousands of school children and prisoners on the dangers of drugs and binge-drinking.

Ian Fisher, 20, from The Wirral, Merseyside, won the Learning and Skills Council Young Achiever Award the ceremony.

The honours recognise young people who have overcome homelessness, drug addiction and unemployment to achieve success with the charity's support.

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Solo mission: the actress arrived alone - there was again no sign of her husband Chris Martin

Years of substance misuse have left Mr Fisher with chronic and life-threatening medical problems.

He said: "Drugs education, I feel, is the way forward to stopping drug abuse happening in the first place. I am not going to stand down from this crusade that I am on until I have made some difference."

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Acting up: St Trinian's star Talulah Riley and Band of Brothers actor Damian Lewis also graced the red carpet

Kevin Spacey, Richard E Grant and Stardust's Charlie Cox were among those gathered at the event.

Fellow actor Damian Lewis presented the RBS Community Impact Award to a team of unemployed young people who revived a Second World War memorial garden in Witton, Birmingham.

Lewis said: "Civilians who died in the World War II heavy bombing were often buried without a permanent tombstone. I think the young people from this Prince's Trust team did an amazing thing, providing a crucial place for relatives to remember their lost ones."

Hosts Jenni Falconer and Ben Shephard and a 1,500-strong audience also heard how single mother-of-three Claire Hutchinson, 29, overcame long-term unemployment to set up a recycling business thanks to a Prince's Trust low-interest loan and mentoring support.

UK Recycling Assistance now employs 25 people and has donated more than £125,000 to a local charity for terminally-ill children.

Spacey, who handed Ms Hutchinson the Capgemini Enterprise Award, said: "Claire's success just shows how a little support can go a long way."

The Prince's Trust & RBS Celebrate Success Awards celebrate the achievements of young people supported by the youth charity who have succeeded against the odds, as well as the support from volunteers and staff.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group's support of Celebrate Success is part of a five-year partnership with the Trust to help the one million young people who are not in education, employment or training.

The Trust has helped more than 575,000 young people since 1976.

 

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