Stars attend Water and Climate Reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by His Majesty The King in support of WaterAid
Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, actors Archie Panjabi, Samantha Barks, and Ariyon Bakare, TV presenters Vick Hope, Angellica Bell and Ade Adepitan, and fitness coach Joe Wicks are among guests who joined WaterAid UK for a Water and Climate Reception hosted by His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace today (Thursday 13 March).
TikTok sensation Big Manny, designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, and comedian Shaparak Khorsandi also attended the event, where The King, who is WaterAid UK’s Patron, brought together young leaders, decision-makers and high-profile guests to drive attention and action on climate change and water.
Across the world, 703 million people – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home and climate change is making the situation worse, with more extreme floods and droughts threatening water sources.
At the start of the event at Buckingham Palace, The King joined Ung Rong Phaltevy, a young climate activist from Cambodia, in the iconic East Gallery to experience an immersive installation that brought to life the critical issue that the climate crisis is a water crisis and that ultimately, change starts with water.
His Majesty The King said at COP 28, December 2023:
“I have seen across the Commonwealth, and beyond, countless communities which are unable to withstand repeated shocks, whose lives and livelihoods are laid waste by climate change.
“In 2050 our grandchildren won’t be asking what we said, they will be living with the consequences of what we did or didn’t do. If we act together to safeguard our precious planet, the welfare of humanity will surely follow.”
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive, WaterAid, said:
"“We are deeply honoured and grateful for the unwavering support His Majesty has given WaterAid as our Patron, and for hosting this landmark event to helping drive forward our mission.
“Adapting to climate change starts with clean water. If we don’t address the water and climate crisis now, young people of today will face the consequences in years to come. But with reliable clean water, communities can stay healthy, recover from disasters, and build a brighter, more resilient future for all.”
In advance of the reception, three pivotal roundtables were held at St James’s Palace, engaging young activists, private sector leaders, and global political leaders to share insights and develop innovative solutions for tackling the water and climate crisis*.
During the reception, His Majesty The King heard about the outcome of the roundtables from attendees, including young climate activists such as footballer Lesein Mutunkei from Kenya, and social media personality Dr Vee Kativhu from Zimbabwe.
Activist Ung Rong Phaltevy said:
"Committing to tackling the climate crisis is essential for our existence. With the world at tipping point, the time is now for action on water and climate. Our young leaders’ roundtable today highlighted that urgent, collective action is needed – and it is an honour to be at Buckingham Palace to discuss our ideas and insights with His Majesty this evening. You could feel the energy and passion in this room – together, we must harness this and make change.”
Paralympic swimmer and WaterAid Ambassador, Ellie Simmonds OBE, who has supported WaterAid since 2014 after seeing the charity’s work in Uganda, said:
“Water is everything to me. It was my career, my passion. And for all of us, water means life. When I visited Uganda with WaterAid, I saw the life changing difference clean water has on whole communities. It was so inspiring to attend the reception at Buckingham Palace and meet people working together to create a world where everyone has this essential.”
Emmy award winning actor Archie Panjabi best known for her roles in The Good Wife and Departure, said:
“Globally, women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours every day collecting water, forcing them to miss out on valuable opportunities. Having clean water close to home keeps girls in school and adults in work, helping to build thriving communities and a fairer world. It’s one thing that changes everything.”
Actor and singer Samantha Barks, best known for her roles in Les Misérables and Frozen, saw how clean water can change lives when she visited Madagascar with WaterAid. She said:
"It’s easy for us to take clean water for granted, but millions of families around the world don’t have access to this basic human right, and the climate crisis is making it worse. I have been able to witness the incredible work WaterAid does first-hand and they are an incredible organisation. The reception highlighted how ensuring everyone everywhere has clean water helps build a better future for all.”
Fitness coach Joe Wicks MBE said:
“Clean water is the foundation of good health and staying hydrated keeps us strong, but millions of people live without this vital resource. It was an honour to attend the event at Buckingham Palace and to be part of highlighting this important issue.”
Actor and WaterAid Ambassador Ariyon Bakare, who has visited WaterAid’s work in Lagos in his father’s homeland, Nigeria, gave a welcome speech at the reception, saying:
“I’d like to thank His Majesty The King for hosting this Water and Climate Reception and for helping to put this vital issue in the spotlight. Clean water is an issue I’ve always been passionate about; it’s a basic human right and without it nothing can flourish or thrive.”
Addressing those in the room, he added:
“We need your help to galvanise people across the world to work together to bring clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to everyone, everywhere, whatever the weather.”
Other guests included Ghanaian businesswoman and philanthropist Akosua Puni Essien and her husband footballer Michael Essien, British entrepreneur Matthew Freud, and sportsman and fitness expert Paul Olima.
ENDS
For media queries, please contact either Laura Crowley, PR Manager, [email protected] or Abigail Smith, Senior Media Officer, [email protected]
Or call WaterAid’s press line on 020 7793 4537, or email [email protected].
Notes to editors
*His Majesty The King did not attend the roundtables
About WaterAid
WaterAid is an international non-profit with one goal: to change the world through water. Along with decent toilets and good hygiene, a reliable supply of clean water is essential for health, dignity and a life full of opportunity. We work alongside communities in 22 countries, setting up entire systems that deliver clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for millions of people. Since 1981, WaterAid UK and its Country Programmes have reached 28.9 million people with clean water, 29.2 million people with decent toilets and 28.7 million people with good hygiene.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk; follow us on BlueSky @wateraid.bsky.social or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.
- 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
- Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
- 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
- Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.3
1: WHO/UNICEF (2023), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender (accessed 11 Jul 2023)
2: WHO (2023), Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update (accessed 24 Jul 2023)
3: UNICEF (2016). Collecting water is often a colossal waste of time for women and girls. (accessed 09 Jan 2024)
