Prince Charles' Charity Gets Big Donation From Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am—for How Much?

Grammy winner doles out a sizeable chunk of cash to help youth-empowerment programs run by the Prince's Trust

By Alexis L. Loinaz Jun 21, 2012 6:24 PMTags
will.i.am, Prince Charles, Prince of WalesChris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Charles' charity just went boom, boom, pow!

Black Eyed Peas beatmaster will.i.am has donated a sizeable chunk o' cash to the Prince's Trust, a youth-empowerment initiative set up by the Prince of Wales in 1976 to provide education and training services to young Brits in need.

And judging by the Grammy winner's very generous gift, which the Trust announced on its website today, those youths will benefit quite handsomely for a long time to come.

So just how much did will.i.am dole out?

That would be a cool $780,000.

The organization announced that will.i.am made the donation through his own i.am angel Foundation after personally meeting the prince at Clarence House last month.

The musician's certainly been getting chummy with them royals: If you'll recall, he performed at a concert earlier this month celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

The donation also seems serendipitously timed, as it happens to be Prince William's birthday today!

"Working with The Prince's Trust, I am joining the mission to help transform the lives of disadvantaged young people living in underprivileged neighborhoods in the U.K.," will.i.am said in a statement through the Trust. "I grew up in East Los Angeles, one of the most underserved and tough neighborhoods in America. My life could have turned out very differently if it were not for the support and encouragement provided by my single working Mum, my uncles and my teachers who encouraged me to dream, and to pursue my goal of getting into the music business."

The Trust, for its part, gave props to the Grammy winner. "Will.i.am is an inspiring character," chief executive Martina Milburn said. "We're excited about his vision of helping the most disadvantaged to improve their computer skills and we're incredibly grateful for the donation. It will make a huge difference to vulnerable young lives in the U.K. today."

Yep, they gotta feeling all right…and we're betting it's a good one!