Yunus receives the Harmony Award from King Charles

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday received the prestigious ''King Charles III Harmony Award 2025", a special honor to recognise long-term commitment to creating a world where people, places and the planet can live in harmony.

The king presented the award to Prof Muhammad Yunus, a 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate who has founded more than 50 social business companies and encouraged sustainable projects, at a ceremony at St James's Palace in London.

"The award is a huge honour for Prof Yunus and the people of Bangladesh," said Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqual Alam, while speaking to media in London.

Established in 1990, The King's Foundation, a UK-based charity founded by the then Prince of Wales, bestows the prestigious award annually on individuals with outstanding achievements in sustainable development and humanitarian causes.

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Prof Yunus to receive prestigious 'Harmony Award 2025' today

The award is given based on the King's tenet that "we should work with nature, not against it".

South Korean diplomat and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon became the first recipient of the King Charles III Harmony Award last year in recognition of his lifelong efforts to promote a "sustainable relationship between people, planet and place on a local and global scale".

The King's Foundation was founded in order to support communities where people, places and the planet can coexist harmoniously.

This year's awards ceremony comes as the charity revealed it has trained more than 1,15,000 students in traditional crafts and environmental education over its 35-year tenure, welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors to its UK destinations, and positively affected more than 5,00,000 lives through sustainable urban planning, reports UK's People Magazine.

The event celebrated the work of students, teachers, alumni and partners who have contributed to the foundation's work across various sectors such as sustainability, traditional heritage skills and environmental education.

Celebrities including Meryl Streep, David Beckham and Kate Winslet were among the 200 guests in attendance, and the trio were photographed sharing a laugh with King Charles.

Earlier on the day, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus met Britain's King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, for a private audience.

During the one-to-one meeting, Yunus briefed Charles on the political transition and the reform measures implemented in Bangladesh following last year's July uprising and the ousting of the Awami League government.

"It was the most important event of the chief adviser's visit to the UK," CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told journalists.

An audience granted by the King is an acknowledgement of the importance of certain individuals and their work.

After the meeting, Charles and Queen Camilla gave Yunus a gift signed by them, said Shafiqual.

 "It was a proud moment," he said.

On the third day of his visit to the UK, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus also met Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons in Westminister, London.