When Maya Jama attended the king’s garden party on Wednesday, it was just the latest show of support for the monarch in a long-standing friendship that has blossomed through a desire to help others.
Dressed in a blue patterned dress and matching hat, the Love Island presenter, 29, greeted King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, and reminisced about her previous work – and awkward faux pas – with the monarch’s charity , the Prince’s Trust. .
She has previously attended fundraisers such as the Prince’s Trust charity gala in 2022, and was also photographed meeting Charles in his role as Prince of Wales at a trust event in 2019.
At the garden party, Jama, who is dating rap star Stormzy, was modest about her previous encounters with the king as she apologized for previously breaking royal protocol.
The TV presenter said: ‘Nice to meet you. Well, I’ve actually met you before, a long time ago. About something with the Prince’s Trust and I touched you. That was not the intention. This time I won’t.’
At the king’s garden party, Maya Jama was modest about her past encounters with the king as she apologized for breaking royal protocol earlier.
The TV star was first spotted at a Prince’s Trust event in 2019. She attended the Prince’s Trust Awards (Pictured: Charles meets Maya Jama and Nicola Adams)
The Royal then asked her: ‘How are you?’
‘I present Love Island. I don’t know if that’s what you’re looking at, though. That’s like a reality dating show. That’s what I do,” Maya said.
Laughing, King Charles told her, “Don’t worry,” to which she replied, “You don’t mind, yes?”
There are no mandatory rules for meeting a member of the royal family, but many traditions are generally adopted as protocol. One of these dictates that it’s best not to start touching unless the royal family gives you their arm.
Afterwards, Jama saw the funny side of the conversation when she shared a joke about it with a close friend.
The TV presenter took to Instagram to share the text exchange with her friend. They wrote: ‘Gift that keeps on giving. I love that you said the words ‘I touched you but I didn’t mean to’ to the King of the United Kingdom. Maya replied, “Lol. How do you know that’.
To which her friend replied, “Mate! It’s on Sky News’.
The occasion brought together approximately 4,000 representatives from culture, arts, heritage, film, TV, radio and fashion.
On Instagram, Maya beamed as she told her followers that she was “on her way to a very hip affair.”
Before this week, Jama attended the Prince’s Trust’s annual fundraising galas, making a splash in 2022 in a stunning black cut-out dress.
In 2022, Maya Jama stunned on the red carpet as she attended the Trust’s fundraising gala
At the garden party, organized to celebrate the UK’s Creative Industries, Maya met King Charles and Queen Camilla
Maya asked King Charles if he watched Love Island, but His Majesty was more of a fan of One Born Every Minute (pictured in the promotional photo for the new series of Love Island next month)
The television personality looked nervous as she waited to speak to the then Prince of Wales, who spoke to boxer Nicola Adams in 2019.
The annual event was hosted that year by legendary musician Lionel Richie and welcomed celebrities from all sectors and walks of life.
Jama was pictured alongside actress Lily James and supermodel Kate Moss.
The Prince’s Trust was founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales, at a time of widespread unemployment in the United Kingdom.
It aims to support vulnerable young people both in the UK and around the world.
More than 45 years later, the charity ‘continues to help thousands of young people every day who face enormous hardship, from unemployment to social exclusion, to poverty, mental health problems, disability or abuse.’
Without the right support and programs – such as those funded and orchestrated by The Prince’s Trust – many young people would ‘struggle to get ahead in education or employment, and therefore be increasingly at risk of poverty, poor health and exploitation in their adult lives’ .’
According to the charity’s official website, The Prince’s Trust has helped ‘almost a million vulnerable young people’ in Britain since its inception.
The Prince’s Trust in Britain provides assistance on a global scale, working with Prince’s Trust International, Prince’s Trust Australia, Prince’s Trust New Zealand, Prince’s Trust Canada and now Prince’s Trust USA.
Maya uploaded a photo of herself in the beautiful blue dress as she walked around the grounds
The TV host later took to Instagram to share a text message exchange with her friend. They wrote: “I love that you said the words ‘I touched you, but I didn’t mean to’ to the king.”
Maya looked stunning in a blue patterned dress. Maya left her long dark locks loose in waves and wore a matching, statement blue fascinator
Jama has been involved with the charity since at least 2019, when she was filmed meeting Charles alongside Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams.
In an endearing moment, she went to greet him a little earlier with a handshake, extending her hand before quickly withdrawing it so that the then heir to the throne could initiate the greeting.
She attended the Prince’s Trust Awards, which celebrate the achievements of young people supported by The Trust.
The annual awards recognize young people who have succeeded against all odds, improved their life chances and made a positive impact on their communities.
In addition to the Prince’s Trust, Jama has also interacted with members of the Royal Family at numerous social calendar events, including major royal outings such as Ascot.
Her boyfriend Stormzy has also met the king and other royals several times – even once while taking a selfie with Prince Harry.