Comedians Dame Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar, along with TV presenter Konnie Huq, were among the stars who met King Charles during a reception celebrating the British Asian Trust. The annual gala, held on Tuesday, aimed to recognise the charity's work in supporting people across South Asia.
Notable attendees
Among the guests was former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, accompanied by her husband Charlie Brooker, the screenwriter known for creating the hit Netflix series Black Mirror. The show explores society's relationship with media and technology. Dame Meera Syal, famous for Goodness Gracious Me, was seen smiling as she shook hands with the King alongside her husband and former co-star Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Performance by Jay Sean
The evening, held in central London, featured a performance from singer-songwriter Jay Sean, 45. Best known for his song Down featuring US rapper Lil Wayne, Sean performed several hits, including a track blending Punjabi and English. Speaking to the Press Association before his set, Sean described the invitation as a "beautiful reminder" of his career's impact on people.
"The gala is a very prestigious thing that celebrates all of the contributions from British Asians in this country," Sean said. "It's nice to be recognised for those achievements. It's kind of like a beautiful reminder of just how you've spent your career and the impact that you've had on people."
Achievements and representation
Sean recently became the first South Asian artist to receive a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 10 million copies of his 2009 hit. He told PA he is "most proud" of representing his community but believes more re-education is needed for British Asians to access the same opportunities, especially in the arts.
"There are still stereotypes as to what we do, what kind of jobs we do, what kind of contribution we make to this society, and quite often the arts are overlooked," he said. "I think that the arts is a space that we really took a long time for people to understand that 'hey, we can be funny too, we can be comedians, we can be actors, we can do music.' We can do all those things, because we're not that different. I think it's re-educating that and looking a bit more into the arts that people can discover how much talent there really is there."
Sean has achieved four UK top 10 singles, including Down, Stolen, 2012 (It Ain't The End), and Eyes On You.
