Idris Elba becomes Sir Idris after receiving knighthood from King Charles
Idris Elba is now a Sir after being awarded a knighthood by King Charles. The Luther star, 53, received the prestigious honor for his services to young people after founding the Elba Hope Foundation, which supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy, and sustainable development.
Looking sharp in a long black suit jacket, navy trousers, and suede shoes, the actor was made a Knight Bachelor by the King at Windsor Castle today. Also receiving their honors were skating stars, Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill, who posed proudly with their medals after being made a Knight Bachelor and Dame Commander of the British Empire, respectively.
Idris, who attended today’s ceremony with his wife, Sabrina - who wore a fitted navy skirt and matching jacket - used a grant from the UK’s Prince’s Trust – now the King’s Trust – to attend the National Youth Music Theatre at 18.
It was announced last year that the actor would team up with Charles to create a documentary marking 50 years since the monarch founded the charity, due to air on Netflix this autumn.
Speaking to the Mirror back in 2013, Idris said the Prince’s Trust had completely changed his life. He said: "It’s easy to see why so many of my peers didn’t do well at school and subsequently succumbed to the “easy” life – mixing with the wrong crowd and heading down the wrong path to a life of unemployment and sometimes even drugs.
"Living in an area with high racial tension meant I often got chased home by groups of people who had singled me out for being different. I left school at 16 with dreams of attending the National Youth Music Theatre but was disheartened when I realized how much it would cost."
Praising the Trust for giving him a much-needed head start in life, he concluded: "It was The Prince’s Trust who made it possible. They gave me a £1,500 grant and set me on the path that would eventually change my life.
"I have a daughter and I’d be heartbroken if she were to experience long-term unemployment or felt she had no one to turn to.
"There are hundreds of thousands of young people out there who are sadly in this position. This is why I’m such a passionate ambassador for The Prince’s Trust."
As well as working with the King, Idris is also friends with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after DJing at their wedding. He went down a storm at their wedding party at Frogmore House, however, Idris previously admitted that it was his most stressful show.
The now newly-appointed Sir told the Mail: "This wasn’t at the community hall — the reception. This was a big, big deal. They’re good friends and I wanted to make sure they had a great time, so there was a lot of pressure."
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