Ed Sheeran Serenaded the Crowd at The Anti-Slavery Collective’s Inaugural Force for Freedom Gala

In 2017, Princess Eugenie and her best friend Julia de Boinville founded The Anti-Slavery Collective, a charity working to end modern slavery and trafficking. And on Wednesday night, the duo hosted the very first Force for Freedom gala to raise funds to fulfill the organization s mission.

Held in London s Battersea Arts Center, the gala welcomed a mix of Britain society, entertainment, and fashion figures including James and Sofia Blunt, Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson, Gabriela Hearst, Camila Alves McConaughey, Count Nikolai von Bismarck, Monique Lhuillier, James Marsden, Theresa May and more.

"We want to raise the awareness level and for people to take away calls to action," Princess Eugenie shared in a statement ahead of the gala. "I hate leaving events with no idea about how to help the cause being highlighted."

To that end, words and statements from survivors were weaved throughout the night. After a keynote speech from Princess Eugenie and de Boinville, guests were treated to a performance from Dreams, a modern slavery survivors’ choir that was formed during music therapy sessions provided by the Salvation Army. Supplies of Tony’s Chocolonely, whose vision is to make the whole chocolate industry 100% slave-free, as well as cookies made by a group of survivors who love to bake, were provided for everyone at their seat.

After dinner under the beaming chandeliers and an auction led by Sotheby s Lord Dalmeny, Ed Sheeran took the stage to serenade the crowd with a few of his hits. In all, the evening raised over $1 million.

"One in 150 people are in modern slavery, that’s more than 50 million globally," added Princess Eugenie. "[Tonight] is about raising funds and awareness and elevating the noise level on modern slavery. We will be more and more working with survivors and keeping their voices integral to the conversation. That’s really important."