King Charles III boosts his charity fundraiser with first appearance at gala joined by Lionel Richie

NEW YORK (AP) — Spring gala season tends to draw celebrated artists and fashion icons to star-studded black-tie fundraisers around New York City. With a guest list boasting Lionel Richie and Anna Wintour, The King's Trust Global Gala looked no different Wednesday evening.

But one distinguished guest — even if his fleeting stop consisted of a three-and-a-half-minute speech — brought a buzz that had some members of high society lining up along velvet ropes and craning their necks inside Christie's New York auction house. That would be King Charles III, who made his first appearance in the five-year history of the event supporting his nonprofit that helps young people find work.

The excitement was evident from the red carpet. Charlotte Tilbury, the British cosmetics entrepreneur, asked Martha Stewart, who wore a sparkling blue dress, if she would tell Charles that she wore “royal blue just for you.” Natasha Poonawalla — the executive director of the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer — said “everyone's been waiting for him."

“I think the fact that he’s here is going to strengthen the presence of the foundation so much more," Poonawalla said.

It appears so. Organizers reported a record fundraising total exceeding $3 million, affirming hopes that the arrival of the monarch and Queen Camilla might boost the sum collected Wednesday as the nonprofit tries to establish an endowment for its work in the United Kingdom and deepen its relationships in more than two dozen countries.

Charles is wrapping up the first visit to the U.S. since his coronation, a four-day trip intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain and strengthen the countries' fraying relationship.

The King's Trust counts 1.5 million people worldwide who have been reached in some way by its education and employment programs over the past 50 years. In brief remarks before guests sat for dinner, Charles noted that many of their beneficiaries return to support disadvantaged young people much like themselves.

“Only now do quite a lot of them actually admit they were started (here),” he joked.

Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue and a co-chair of the gala, has seen the trust's impact in West London. He said his cousins and brothers have been able to make something of their lives despite being classed by society as “not worthy.”

He described Charles' appearance as the nonprofit's “glory moment."

“He’s set the example that philanthropy matters," Enninful told The Associated Press. "No matter how well you are doing, you’re not doing enough unless you’re passing it on to a newer generation.”

The event was more intimate than previous years with just about 160 guests. There weren't musical performances either; Richie informed guests from the get-go that he wouldn't be singing, prompting Charles to joke that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer “must gargle with port.” Other attendees included supermodels Karlie Kloss and Iman, actors Leo Woodall and Meghann Fahy as well as designers Donatella Versace and Stella McCartney.

Stewart recalled her own luck as she built a multi-million-dollar media empire centered around cooking, entertaining and homemaking. The lifestyle entrepreneur said she paid for her “fine education” through scholarships. And she was fortunate that all of her jobs were “excellent.”

“But I know today there’s a big challenge in getting a good job, a big challenge in getting a good education,” she said. "And we’re here to help those people.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Natasha Poonawalla attends The King's Trust Global Gala 50th anniversary at Christie's New York on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Anna Wintour attends The King's Trust Global Gala 50th anniversary at Christie's New York on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Donatella Versace attends The King's Trust Global Gala 50th anniversary at Christie's New York on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lionel Richie attends The King's Trust Global Gala 50th anniversary at Christie's New York on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Edward Enninful, from left, Britain's King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Charlotte Tilbury and Lionel Richie attend a cultural reception Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (Spencer Platt/Pool via AP)

Lionel Richie speaks with Britain's King Charles III during a cultural reception Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is appealing a judge's order as it tries to cut the number of vaccines recommended for every child in the United States.

The appeal filed Wednesday was a response to a March 16 court order that blocked the decision by President Donald Trump's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV, a respiratory virus.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's order also stopped a meeting of a Kennedy-appointed vaccine advisory committee.

The judge's order remains in effect while the appeal is considered.

The government's one-sentence filing did not say why the block should be lifted. U.S. health officials did not immediately comment on the filing, or respond to a question about why they waited six weeks to file an appeal.

The appeal is the latest development in a lawsuit filed in July by the American Academy of Pediatrics and some other medical groups. The lawsuit in federal court in Boston originally focused on Kennedy’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.

The lawsuit was updated as Kennedy took more steps that alarmed medical societies, causing the plaintiffs to ask Murphy to take steps to address those policy changes too.

For example, the plaintiffs amended the lawsuit to stop the scaling back of the nation’s childhood vaccination schedule. They also asked the court to look at Kennedy’s actions concerning the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises public health officials on what vaccines to recommend to doctors and patients.

Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation’s top health official, fired the entire 17-member panel last year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.

Murphy, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden, said Kennedy’s reconstitution of ACIP likely violated federal law. The judge ordered the appointments — and all decisions made by the reformulated committee — put on hold.

Earlier this month, the Republican administration updated the committee's charter to broadens qualifications for panel members in ways that would allow the inclusion of Kennedy allies. That move did not resolve the legal challenge, according to Richard Hughes IV, a lawyer representing the pediatrics group.

Hughes this week said he was disappointed that the government decided to appeal but said he expected to prevail. He pledged to bring an end to Kennedy's “steady destruction of vaccine policy and public health.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)