Princess Eugenie hosts Ed Sheeran, Idris Elba and a choir of slavery victims at tonight’s glittering gala for the charity she founded

Ed Sheeran and a choir of modern slavery victims will take center stage at tonight’s opening gala for Princess Eugenie’s charity.

They will perform at a glitzy fundraiser for The Anti-Slavery Collective, which was founded by the king’s niece in 2017 with friend Julia de Boinville.

Other celebrities including Idris Elba and James Blunt will join Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank, mother Duchess of York, cousin Zara Tindall and former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Ahead of the event at Battersea Arts Center Eugenie, 33, praised Sheeran for his involvement, saying:

‘It’s the craziest thing there is. Ed is a game changer and a generational entertainer, so I absolutely can’t get over him coming.

The lead actor is Ed Sheeran, who will perform alongside a choir made up of former victims of modern slavery

Princess Eugenie with husband Jack Brooksbank, who will also be present at the London gala

“He’s also one of the nicest people, so I’m really honored and really grateful to have him here and helping us with the mission of The Anti-Slavery Collective.”

Eugenie, the Duke and Duchess of York’s second child, said she was motivated to set up the charity, which aims to end modern slavery through the humanitarian work of her mother, Sarah Ferguson.

“My mother does a lot of charity work and has always raised my sister and I to give back,” Princess Eugenie said.

The Royal, who now lives in Portugal with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons, said a trip to Calcutta with her mother and Julia in 2012 sowed the seeds of the Anti-Slavery Collective.

“We went to Calcutta to visit Aloka Mitra, who founded the Women’s Interlink Foundation,” she recalls.

“Aloka is an amazing woman who has rescued girls from the streets, housed them and taught them how to print on fabric.

‘On that trip to India, Jules and I were so shocked by what we had discovered about modern slavery. When we returned to Britain we learned as much as we could about it, meeting anyone who would listen to us, visiting safe houses and speaking to survivors.’

The charity’s mission is to raise awareness of the 50 million people around the world currently trapped in modern slavery.

‘I was 21 when I first heard about modern slavery. I don’t want people to reach the same age without being educated about reality,” the Royal said.

The Princess also paid tribute to a slavery survivor from Manchester, who played a crucial role in setting up the charity in 2017.

‘One survivor who has been an inspiration to our charity was born and raised in Manchester and trafficked into a local gang by her neighbour.

‘She was instrumental in setting up The Collective and we always ask her what she thinks… This is an example of modern slavery happening everywhere, even here in Britain.’

She urged every Briton to do their part in the war against modern slavery.

‘A victim can walk among you, but receive an unfair wage or be forced to work within an inch of his life, perhaps in the construction sector, a nail salon or at a car wash.

Guests at the gala for the Anti-Slavery Collective include actor Idris Elba

Eugenie says she is inspired by her mother’s humanitarian work

‘Everyone needs to open their eyes to what can happen around them.’

Sheeran had an infamous encounter with Princess Eugenie’s sister, Princess Beatrice, who accidentally slit his cheek with a ceremonial sword while jokingly ‘knighting’ James Blunt at a dinner party in 2016.

The musician always refused to name the Royal, but his manager, Stuart Camp, eventually confirmed that it was the Princess who had wielded the sword, calling her an “idiot.”

But it seems Sheeran has put all that behind him as he prepares to lend his star power to Princess Eugenie’s charity in London tonight.