Inside King Charles and Maya Jama’s friendship by the years
As Maya Jama attended the King’s garden party on Wednesday it was just the latest show of support for the monarch in a long-standing friendship that has blossomed through the desire to help others.
Dressed in a blue-patterned dress and matching hat, the Love Island host, 29, greeted King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, and reminisced about her previous work – and awkward faux pas – with the monarch’s charity, the Prince’s Trust.
She has previously attended fundraisers such as the Prince’s Trust charity gala in 2022 and was also photographed meeting Charles in his role as the Prince of Wales at a trust event in 2019.
At the garden party, Jama, who is dating rap star Stormzy, was humble about her previous encounters with the King as she apologised for previously breaking royal protocol.
The TV host said: ‘Nice to meet you. Well, I’ve actually met you before, a long time ago. About something with the Prince’s Trust and I touched you. I wasn’t supposed to. This time I won’t.’
At the King’s garden party, Maya Jama was humble about her previous encounters with the King as she apologised for previously breaking royal protocol
The TV star was first seen at a Prince’s Trust event in 2019, she attended the Prince’s Trust Awards (Pictured: Charles meeting Maya Jama and Nicola Adams)
The Royal then asked her: ‘How are you getting on?’
‘I host Love Island. I don’t know if you watch that though. That’s like a reality dating show. That’s what I do,’ Maya said.
Laughing, King Charles told her: ‘Don’t worry about it’ to which she responded: ‘You don’t mind, yeah?’.
There are no obligatory rules to meeting a member of the Royal Family, but many tradition are typically adopted as protocals. One of these dictates it’s best to not initiate touching unless the royal gives you their arm.
Afterwards, Jama saw the funny side of the exchange as she shared a joke about it with a close friend.
The TV host took to Instagram to share the text exchange with her friend. They wrote: ‘Gift that keeps on giving. I love the fact you said the words: “I touched you but I wasn’t supposed to” to the King of the United Kingdom’. Maya replied: ‘Lol. How do you know that’.
To which her friend replied: ‘Mate! It’s on Sky News’.
The occasion brought together approximately 4,000 representatives across culture, art, heritage, film, TV, radio and fashion.
Taking to Instagram, Maya beamed as she told her followers she was ‘off to a very snazzy affair’.
Before this week, Jama has attended the Prince’s Trust’s annual fundraising galas, making a particular splash with a stunning black cutout dress in 2022.
In 2022, Maya Jama stunned on the red carpet as she attended the Trust’s fundraising gala
Maya’s boyfriend Stormzy is also a supporter of the royals and even once took a selfie with Prince Harry
At the garden party, which was thrown to celebrate the Creative Industries of the United Kingdom, Maya met King Charles and Queen Camilla
Maya asked King Charles if he watched Love Island, but the His Majesty was more of a fan of One Born Every Minute (pictured in the promotional shot for the new series of Love Island next month)
The television personality had looked nervous as she waited to talk to the then Prince Of Wales who was speaking to boxer Nicola Adams in 2019
The annual event was that year hosted by legendary musician Lionel Richie, and welcomed celebrities from all industries and walks of life.
Jama was pictured arriving alongside the likes of actress Lily James and supermodel Kate Moss.
The Prince’s Trust was established by Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1976 at a time of widespread unemployment in the United Kingdom.
It aims to support vulnerable young people both in the UK and around the globe.
Over 45 years later, the charity continues to help ‘thousands of young people every day who are facing tremendous hardships, from unemployment to social exclusion, to poverty, mental health issues, disability, or abuse.’
Without the proper help and programs – like the ones funded and orchestrated by The Prince’s Trust – many young people would ‘struggle to move forward in education or employment, and consequently become increasingly at risk of to poverty, ill health, exploitation in their adult lives.’
According to the charity’s official website, The Prince’s Trust has helped ‘nearly one million vulnerable young people’ in the United Kingdom since its inception.
Providing relief on a global scale, The Prince’s Trust in the UK works alongside Prince’s Trust International, Prince’s Trust Australia, Prince’s Trust New Zealand, Prince’s Trust Canada and now Prince’s Trust USA.
Maya uploaded a photo of herself in the stunning blue dress as she walked through the grounds
The TV host later took to Instagram to share a text exchange with her friend. They wrote: ‘I love the fact you said the words: “I touched you but I wasn’t supposed to” to the King’
Maya looked incredible in a blue patterned dress. Leaving her long dark tresses loose in waves, Maya wore a coordinated eye-catching blue fascinator
Jama has been involved with the charity since at least 2019, when she was filmed meeting Charles alongside Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams.
In an endearing moment, she went to greet him with a handshake slightly early, proffering her hand before quickly rescinding it, to allow the then-heir to the throne to initiate the greeting.
She was attending the Prince’s Trust Awards, to honour the achievements of young people supported by The Trust.
The annual awards recognise young people who have who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their communities.
Aside from the Prince’s Trust, Jama has rubbed shoulders with royalty at numerous events in the social calendar, including at major royal outings such as Ascot.
Her boyfriend Stormzy has also met the King and other members of the royals on multiple occasions – even once taking a selfie with Prince Harry.
