King Charles III hosts Idris Elba to discuss young people's troubles
The Peninsula
London: We hear you. That was the simple message offered to a group of young people hosted in London on Friday by King Charles III, who also invited H...
London: We hear you. That was the simple message offered to a group of young people hosted in London on Friday by King Charles III, who also invited Hollywood megastar Idris Elba and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to St. James' Palace to discuss the troubles that young people face.
Elba, the London-born star of "The Wire” and "Luther,” has used his celebrity status to shine a light on youth violence, urging the British government to ban machetes and serrated "zombie” knives to help stop young people from falling victim to knife crime.
"This topic has always had a spike in interest when we lose a life,'' Elba said. "I think where we are right now ... our country is wanting to have some change and is consistently banging on that door for change.”
In the U.K., which has strict gun-control laws, about four in 10 homicides involve a knife or sharp instrument. But knife crime involving young people in Britain’s cities has prompted particular concern. In London, 21 teenagers were killed in 2023, 18 of whom were stabbed to death.
In worrying about the nation's youth, Elba finds a kindred spirit in the king.