Lionel Richie and Edward Enninful Celebrated King Charles and His Charity Legacy in Manhattan

On Thursday night, one of King Charles III’s most significant legacies was being celebrated at Casa Cipriani in downtown Manhattan, even though the guest of honor was across the pond. In the months after last year’s coronation, the foundation the king started in 1976 changed its name to the King’s Trust, and for the second year in a row, hosts Lionel Richie and Edward Enninful assembled a bi-continental crowd to celebrate its recent expansion into the US.

Richie told Vanity Fair he was sad the king couldn’t make it, but they spoke earlier this week. “How happy I am that I can say he is doing fantastic again,” said Richie, who arrived with his partner, Lisa Parigi. “I understand he needs to sit still, you know what I’m saying? The most important part is he is doing well, he’s back to his duties. Therefore I wouldn’t want the first thing for him to do is to come over to make this event. Let’s not prove anything here! But we are here to represent. We’re going to do a great job of that.”

Even without the real deal, there was a bit of representation in the form of Dominic West, The Crown’s ’90s era Charles. He came as a guest of Charlotte Tilbury, one of the night’s sponsors, and spotted a distinct glow from what he said was her “facial stuff.” Wearing a white shirt with a ruffled collar, the actor said that while he wasn’t much of a fashion plate, his cufflinks did have a special provenance. “They’re from The Crown,” he said. He added that he might have enjoyed his costumes, but his real admiration for the king came from his work with the King’s Trust.

“I think it’s one of the best charities in the world. It’s amazing what it does. I think that’s why I admire him the most, because of this charity. It’s incredible,” West said. “I’ve met lots of the kids that it has helped, and it’s had such a global reach. So I support it whenever I can.”

In conversation with reporters, Enninful said he was hoping the best for the king and Kate Middleton amid their recent health struggles. “You’ve seen the king out and about, and I’m so excited,” he said. “I just wish him the best, and the same for the Princess of Wales. I look forward to seeing them out and about, doing the great work.”

Lionel Richie and Edward EnninfulPhoto by Neil Rasmus. Courtesy of BFA.com

For the event, he gathered familiar faces from his tenure at British Vogue, which ended in March of this year, with a spectacular cover featuring 40 era-defining stars. The representatives of the March cover at Casa Cipriani included Kate Moss, Irina Shayk, Laverne Cox, and Anok Yai, a relative newcomer in the industry.

After stunning in front of the cameras in a mint-green vintage Galliano dress with tassel, Yai told VF that the gala would be the first time she saw Enninful since shooting the cover last December. “Everything I do is for Edward,” she said. “I think the best thing that I learned from him is to trust and trust in my voice and trust in my artistic work.”

The guest list also included a number of fashion luminaries, including Emily Ratajkowski, Ashley Graham, Law Roach, Teyana Taylor, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Iris Law, and Kate Beckinsale. John Legend was the night’s performer, and when he and Chrissy Teigen arrived, they posed with his stylist, David Thomas.

Thomas styles both Legend and Richie, and he told VF that he was only able to start his fashion career because of the assistance he received from the charity under its former name back in 1988. “I have been a very proud Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. I received a grant to start my own business as a fashion stylist, so I owe it everything really,” he said. Thomas mentioned that he last saw the king after the Coronation Concert in Windsor, where Richie was one of the headlining acts. “We were at Windsor Castle and saw the King and the Queen after—I’d never met the Queen before… The king knows who I am!” he added with a laugh.

Cox arrived on the early side and took a second to hug and say hello to Sam Smith upon her arrival. For Cox it was a night to catch up with Enninful. “I’m always in New York and never in London!” she said. She added that she wasn’t much of a royal watcher, though she does have affection for the American wing of the family. “I love Meghan and Harry!”

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