India, June 13 -- King Charles celebrated the contributions of the Indian diaspora at a special event in London to mark the 20th anniversary of a charity he founded to combat poverty in South Asia.

As the Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, the 77-year-old monarch joined hundreds of celebrity guests to spotlight the impact the charity made through its support of more than 18.8 million people across the region.

The gala evening earlier this week also helped raise more than 1 million pounds towards the charity's many causes spread across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"We are grateful for the continued interest our Royal Founding Patron, His Majesty the King, takes in the Trust's work," said Hitan Mehta, the CEO...