Charles Spencer with Diana Award recipients at Althorp House.Photo: The Diana Award/Twitter
Princess Diana’s brotheropened the doors of his estateto honor 20 young people who’ve made positive differences in their communities around the world — in the late royal’s name.
Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, hosted the latestDiana Award Legacy Awardrecipients at Althorp House, which is Diana’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, England.
On Thursday, the group was treated to an evening at the stately home where the then Lady Diana Spencer and her siblings, including Charles, spent much of their childhood. They were first welcomed to the main house and then entertained in a marquee on the grounds.
“It’s very suitable in the year that would have been Diana’s 60th birthday to have the Legacy Awards at her home,” Spencer told PEOPLE at the ceremony. “I met the Legacy Award winners today and they’re all very much following in her footsteps. One of them is even called Diana and named after her.”
“It’s such a prestigious award now,” he said of the Legacy Award. “If you look at the quality of work that these award winners are doing — this is inspiring social entrepreneurs around the world to blossom and be recognized at an early age,” he added. “There’s one young lady from India here who’s 15 and she’s doing incredible things for her community, so I think Diana would be very proud of what’s going on in her name today.
Among the inspiring winners is a woman from the U.S., Diana Chao, 23, from Los Angeles, who runs Letters to Strangers. Another American among the 20 Legacy Award winners is Jahin Rahman, 18, from New York, who founded the non-profit Efforts in Youth Development of Bangladesh.
“It’s been a real honor. I was named after Princess Diana so to be able to embody her spirit of service has been always been a goal of mine,” Chao told PEOPLE at the event. “She was the kind of person who understood that the fight is not always easy and sometimes you have to push yourself to uncomfortable boundaries and so for me to be able to emulate that was my parents' hope and I’m hoping that this award was another step to achieving that.
“This is especially special because we have people coming together for the first time since two years of COVID and we are all young people who have a lot of really passionate causes — to share that energy and to learn from each other is a blessing.”
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Charles Spencer and Princess Diana.Amanda Edwards/WireImage; Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty
Rahman, one of the youngest recipients, told PEOPLE, “It’s a huge privilege and be here and meet people who’ve had so much impact and be celebrated along with them. But it’s also about meeting 19 other people who are going to change the world.
“My non-profit is a youth-run non-profit for street and orphan children in Bangladesh. We donate to small schools and literacy programs and drug rehabilitation services. We also work towards gender equality and those marginalized in the country.”
When asked about the ceremony taking place at Althorp, he added, “It’s so gorgeous. We all talked about how crazy it would be to grow up in a place like this. Lord Spencer showed us around some of the rooms and each place had historical significance, which was really cool.”
The young winners are also set to have access to a unique two-year development program, which aims to provide them with the opportunity to enhance their skills in four key areas; leadership, community development, social entrepreneurship and technology for good.
The awards are being presented as the upcoming 25th anniversary year of Diana’s death in August 1997 looms, making it an especially poignant evening.
Tessy Ojo. CEO of the Diana Award tells PEOPLE, “This year is really special. Obviously, we are celebrating what would have been the princess’s 60th birthday and this is the year the statue was unveiled so there’s been a lot about legacy and what that legacy means. So finding these 20 young people who are absolutely amazing who truly embody those values of compassion, courage and selflessness make it super special.
“One of the things I really love about this year is they are so diverse and so global. When I think of the statue and the global children that are around the statue — our 20 truest represent the global ness of Diana.”
source: people.com
