KATY PERRY'S ROYAL WELCOME

Ambassador Katy, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla

Here’s some news we didn’t see coming—Katy Perry will be named ambassador of the British Asian Trust by His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, at a ceremony Tuesday night at Banqueting House in London. Could that sentence be any more obscure?

It’s all for a good cause, with anti-trafficking set to be the main focus of the annual dinner. A fund will be announced that aims to help reduce child trafficking and abuse across India, with the Children's Investment Fund Foundation committing to match everything raised up to £25m. There are believed to be 5.8m children working in forced labour in India with tens of thousands thought to be working in hazardous workshops in Jaipur alone, producing goods including bangles, embroidery and other products, with many forced to work for up to 15 hours a day.

Of her new title, Katy Perry, said: “My work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has taken me to many parts of the world and opened my eyes to the many vulnerabilities of children. India has long held a special place in my heart, and on my last visit, I was able to meet with The Prince of Wales and other leaders in Mumbai, and I was impressed by their strong plan - from on-ground initiatives to fundraising - that will aim to cut child trafficking in half.

“That is why I am especially honoured to be named an ambassador for the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund, and to help shine my light on the work that the British Asian Trust will be doing in South Asia, and to be a part of finding solutions to child trafficking. Children are vulnerable and innocent and have to be protected.”

Photo credit: Paul Grover