The heir to the British crown is once again in the middle of controversy. This is after he named pop star Katy Perry as the newest ambassador for British Asian Trust's Children Protection Fund for India.

On Tuesday, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, graced the British Asian Trust's annual royal dinner at Banqueting House in London together with senior Cabinet ministers, global business leaders, and other prominent celebrities.

During the same event, the Prince of Wales announced that the 35-year-old singer would serve as the organization's ambassador to help fight child-trafficking in India. Prince Charles and Katy first met in Mumbai last November 2019.

While presenting the singer's new role, the 71-year-old son of Queen Elizabeth II commended Katy for her "long-standing commitment to charitable causes around the world."

Katy, who also serves as UNICEF (United Nation's International Children Emergency Fund) Goodwill Ambassador, said that she is very honored to represent British Asian Trust and be a part of the solution in the growing number of child-trafficking.

"I was impressed by their strong plan, from on-ground initiatives to fundraising, that will aim to cut child trafficking in half," Katy said.

The "Fireworks" singer's role is to act in the interest of the organization, which is currently campaigning to end child labor in India. Katy is joined by other ambassadors, including BBC journalist Asad Ahmad, cricket coach Azhar Mahmood, DJ Nihal Arthanayake, sports medicine specialist Dr. Zaf Iqbal, and director Gurinder Chadha.

However, Prince Charles' decision to give the role to the "American Idol" judge immediately sparked furry among people questioning Katy's credentials. On top of that, among all the ambassadors on the list, Katy is neither British nor Asian.

Twitter users are not convinced that the "California Girls" singer is qualified for the said role, noting that her appointment shows "colonialism at its finest."

"I love Katy but seriously? She's not British, or is she Asian. There are SO MANY BRITISH ASIAN celebrities who should be in her place," one Twitter user said.

Other pointed out that while Katy is a great singer and performer, the organization should have chosen someone that is native to ethnicity and someone who understands both British and Asian perspective.

 

 

Meanwhile, the singer's fellow British Trust ambassador came to her rescue and defended Katy from all the negative comments.

"Are you suggesting that as a charity, the BAT only accept(s) ambassadors who are Asian?" DJ Nihal Arthanayake responded on Twitter. "It's about finding people who are passionate about the work the charity does. She alone helped raise 130k last night."

Nihal further argued that the ambassadorship role does not always have to have a connection between the individual's work and the British Asian community. He said that "human connection" alone is enough, citing that Katy's pro-children work in UNICEF is also a positive thing.

 

As of writing, both Katy Perry and the Buckingham Palace has yet to comment on the controversy surrounding her appointment.

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