Pop Star's Name Removed from Charity Centre She Championed
Fans of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole have been left shocked after her name was dramatically stripped from a youth centre in Newcastle that she helped establish and fund. The Cheryl's Trust Centre, which the pop star officially opened in 2018, has now been rebranded simply as the 'King's Trust Centre'.
From Royal Visit to Name Removal
The significant change occurred earlier this year when the original signage reading 'The Prince's Trust Cheryl's Trust Centre' was taken down and replaced. This comes just three years after King Charles visited the facility in 2021, during which Cheryl described the occasion as an 'incredibly special' day. During that visit, the King personally thanked her for her 'energy and enthusiasm' in helping establish the centre.
Cheryl had raised an impressive £1 million towards the cost of the unit through her Cheryl Cole Foundation, working in collaboration with the royal charity. The centre was designed to support disadvantaged young people in her native Newcastle, where she grew up on what was described as a 'tough council estate'.
Royal Charity Explains the Rebranding
A royal source has insisted that 'the naming of the centre was granted to Cheryl's Trust on a temporary basis'. They added: 'When the charity formally changed its name this year from the Prince's Trust to the King's Trust, it was a natural moment to also change the centre name and signage.'
Despite the name removal, a spokesman confirmed that 'Cheryl remains a very valued Ambassador of the King's Trust.' The relationship between the singer and the royal charity dates back to 2012 when Cheryl first met the King at a Prince's Trust gala dinner, followed by tea at Clarence House.
At the height of her fame as an X-Factor judge, King Charles was said to view Cheryl as a useful ally to boost his popularity. He even appointed her long-term mentor, Kristina Kyriacou, as PR supremo for his sprawling charity empire.
Since giving birth to her son Bear eight years ago with then-boyfriend Liam Payne, Cheryl has maintained a lower public profile. The One Direction singer tragically fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina last year aged 31, leaving a £28.6 million fortune. Cheryl was named as administrator of the estate for their son Bear, who is the rightful heir.
A fan of the Geordie star expressed sadness about the name removal, telling reporters: 'It's very sad. She was the driving force behind it.' The centre continues to operate under the King's Trust banner, maintaining its mission to support young people despite the controversial rebranding.
