At the Prince’s Trust gala on Thursday night, British and American attendees alike had King Charles III on their minds.
“His Majesty couldn’t be with us tonight,” the hairstylist Charlotte Mensah told the room as attendees sat down for dinner. “I think he has something next week.”
The king’s coronation is scheduled to take place May 6, a continent away. But at Cipriani South Street in downtown Manhattan, fashion royalty and actual royalty gathered last night to support the king’s charity work. Marc Jacobs, Margaret Zhang, Iman, Charlotte Tilbury, as well as Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, were among those who came out for the gala dinner, which supports the Prince’s Trust, a charity that helps young people access education and careers. The event raised more than $1.7 million.
Speaking of life paths, would any of the highly public people in attendance want to be a royal or a king?
“Way too much pressure,” said Ivy Getty.
“Leave it to them,” said Kate Moss.
Rita Ora, who performed at the event, was more excited by the prospect. She was wearing a white Richard Quinn gown with evening gloves and was accompanied by her husband, Taika Waititi, whose shirt was unbuttoned deeply enough to reveal his chest tattoo.
A role in the royal family would be a dream for Ms. Ora, who grew up in Britain. “It’s like in every fairy tale,” she said.
Ms. Ora added that the royals she had met — King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry — were all surprisingly down-to-earth.
“They’re pretty fun,” she said.
The gala was hosted by Edward Enninful, the editor in chief of British Vogue, and Lionel Richie, who did not attend but sent a video message relaying the shock he felt when King Charles asked him to perform at the coronation concert.
Short ribs hit the royal purple tablecloths around 8 p.m. As guests nibbled, Doja Cat greeted Mr. Enninful in a crocheted Roberto Cavalli dress with a low-slung belt, and Kate Beckinsale squeezed the dramatic skirt of her slime-green gown through the door to the ballroom.
At least one attendee could draw upon an actual experience of royalty: Prince Pavlos of Greece, who will attend the coronation next week.
The role can be challenging, he noted. Many celebrities in the room led normal lives before becoming famous, he pointed out, and even they sometimes found it difficult to be so high-profile.
“Imagine if you’ve grown up as a functioning royal, where you’ve always been observed,” he said.
That scrutiny is heightened for the younger generation of royals, who have grown up at a time when everyone has a camera on hand, he added.
“You have nowhere to hide,” he said. “You have to be on your game more than you had to in the past.”
As Ms. Ora struck the opening chords of the song “Ritual,” Prince Pavlos was swept away to join his wife, Princess Marie-Chantal.
The model Winnie Harlow, who attended the gala with Tommy Hilfiger, was less sympathetic to the monarchy.
“I’m Jamaican and I would like for us to stand alone, and get our money back from them that they owe us, as Caribbean islands,” she said.
Ms. Harlow said she had come to the gala nonetheless because she supported the work the Prince’s Trust does to help young people.
“I feel like I didn’t have as many opportunities when I was younger,” she said. “I wanted to stand forward as an example of someone who didn’t have the opportunities, but could push through.”
At 10:15 p.m., Idris Elba took the stage to share how a small grant from the Prince’s Trust had supported him early in his acting career. He encouraged guests to bid on auction items that included a flight on Mr. Richie’s private jet and a trip across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.
Over a dessert of chocolate-covered strawberries, models and designers — who suggested they were more excited about the Met Gala on Monday than the coronation — mingled with royalists.
Margot McKinney, the Australian jewelry designer, said she planned to fly to London to be in the city for coronation day. Her father had been there for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
What would appropriate jewelry look like for the festivities? “Just like this,” she said, pointing to an opal the size of an Oreo resting on her sternum.
The model Precious Lee confessed that she was a British monarchy nerd. She said she was especially fond of the recent spate of books and TV shows “sharing different parts of the history, parts that probably have been a little less elaborated on.”
Ms. Lee was recently crowned one of “The New Supers” on a Vogue cover heralding the supermodels of the moment.
To Ms. Lee, becoming royalty did not feel like a reach. “I’m like, am I not?” she said.
Quick Question is a collection of dispatches from red carpets, gala dinners and other events that coax celebrities out of hiding.
