King Charles shakes hands with notable figures at St Paul’s Cathedral reception

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, along with his wife Rosemary, astronaut Tim Peake, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, artist and designer Yinka Ilori and Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, who reflected the UK's scientific, creative and cultural strengths, also spent time with Charles.

King Charles hosted a reception at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday evening for up to 300 guests, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Sir Elton John and astronaut Tim Peake, following the International Investment Summit.

Charles spent 45 minutes at the event shaking hands and speaking to a wide group of notable figureheads, including Sir Tim, who invented the World Wide Web, and his wife Rosemary.

He also spoke to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Saudi businessman who is governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and chairman of Newcastle United.

Sir Elton performed at the reception and was seen chatting to the King, while astronaut Tim Peake, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, artist and designer Yinka Ilori and Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth also spent time with Charles.

The guests reflected the UK’s strengths in science, the creative industries and culture.

The King was also greeted at the event by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and several members of the Cabinet, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Earlier, Sir Keir told the summit, at the Guildhall in the City of London, that boosting economic growth would help tackle the rise of populism by repairing public services and putting cash in people’s pockets as efforts to woo global investors netted deals worth £63 billion.

The Prime Minister rolled out the red carpet for chief executives, promising to rip up regulations to get projects off the ground if they put funding into the UK.

“We live in an age where political fires rage across the world. Conflict, insecurity, a populist mood that rails against the open values so many of us hold dear,” he said.

But at the same time, it was “an age of great possibility” with a “huge revolution in digital technology, in clean energy, medicine, life sciences, each with a competitive potential to fundamentally change the way we live and the way that we work”.

“Each with the possibility to transform the lives of working people for the better,” he said.

That meant economic growth was “vital if we’re to steer our way through a great period of insecurity and change and on to calmer water”.