Princess Madeleine will travel to New York in November to attend the annual gala dinner of Childhood USA, Svensk Damtidning reports. The charity evening takes place on Thursday 19 November at 583 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The princess is honorary vice chair of the World Childhood Foundation.
The foundation was set up by her mother, Queen Silvia, in 1999 and works to prevent the sexual abuse of children. Madeleine became involved at an early stage and has since taken on a senior role alongside the Queen. During the years she lived in Florida with her family, she worked closely with the American branch, Childhood USA. Since the family’s return to Sweden, she has carried out her work from the foundation’s headquarters in Stockholm.
The New York gala is one of the highlights of the American branch’s calendar. Each year it celebrates the work done over the previous twelve months and raises money for future projects. The programme includes entertainment, speeches, a party and an auction, in which entrepreneurs and companies donate experiences for guests to bid on. According to the magazine, prices often climb further during the paddle raise that follows, and all proceeds go to Childhood’s work.
Seats do not come cheap. The most affordable option is a dinner ticket at $1,500, about 14,100 kronor, which includes a place at the event. At the top end, a donation of $100,000, or more than one million kronor, secures 20 tickets in the best seats, along with public recognition during the evening and in advertising ahead of it. The tiers are aimed at the wealthy donors and corporate supporters who make up much of the gala’s audience.
The trip will take Madeleine back to a city she knows well and to many familiar faces from the American charity scene. Svensk Damtidning noted that she can expect a number of happy reunions at the dinner. The magazine also pointed back to last autumn’s edition of the party in New York, which she attended, as a guide to the kind of evening guests can expect next month. The trip continues years of work for Childhood on both sides of the Atlantic, from her time in Florida with the American branch to her current role at the Stockholm headquarters, where she now works alongside her mother.
