Last Friday, His Royal Highness Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was the guest of honour at an exclusive dinner held by the British embassy and Siam Piwat, to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity Thailand (HFHT), at the British ambassador's residence.
A patron of Habitat for Humanity, Prince Richard has observed the non-profit organisation's projects in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as volunteered in building houses for low-income families in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
The five-day official visit to Thailand included meeting families whose houses were built by HFHT in Kanchanaburi, and rounded off with the "Dinner With The Duke" event hosted by British Ambassador to Thailand Brian John Davidson and Siam Piwat senior executive vice-president Mayuree Chaipromprasith.
The six-course menu was curated by celebrity chef Ken Hom -- an authority on oriental cooking whose delightful creations included crispy chicken sun-dried tomato spring rolls with organic micro salad; stir-fried jade prawns with Italian parsley, coriander, and basil; and roast lacquer barbecued duck with cornmeal-spring onion-ginger waffles.
Over 40 guests also enjoyed a performance by singing diva Rudklao Amratisha while their memories in dining with the duke were captured by celebrity photographer Pornpot Kanchanahatakij, aka Sixtysix.
Proceeds from the charity dinner will support HFHT, whose CEO Timothy Loke summarised that more than 1,500 families have benefited from its home building and rehabilitation programmes over the last 20 years, but much more has to be done in providing decent housing and transforming communities in Thailand.
