
London: Prince Charles, the 69-year-old heir to the British throne, and Neelam Gill, 22, an Indian model from Coventry, are becoming quite an item - in the nicest possible way.
On Tuesday, Neelam wore a red dress when she attended a dinner at Buckingham Palace hosted by Charles to mark 10 years of the British Asian Trust, one of his favourite charities that helps young people in South Asia.
From 200 guests, Charles somehow accidentally or on purpose managed to have a little chat with Neelam, it would seem.
He picked her out again on Thursday night when Neelam, along with such showbiz stars as Dame Helen Mirren and singers Cheryl Tweedy and Sir Tom Jones, attended another charity programme - this time at St James's Palace, his official residence.
Neelam wore a "very daring dress", papers reported.
On Twitter, she was accused, possibly not entirely seriously, of "sexual harassment". She was also said to have broken royal protocol by touching Charles on his arm but he did first fleetingly feel her dress.
The party was to mark the partnership between the Prince's Trust, which has helped 870,000 people since it was set up by Charles in 1976, and the French cosmetics giant L'Oréal, for whom Neelam is an ambassador in the UK.
The Mail reported that Neelam "caught his eye in her daring dress - a low-cut leotard with a lace overlay that showed her legs and a good deal of derrière."
"The Prince was clearly smitten as he greeted 5'11' tall Miss Gill warmly and even touched her dress admiringly," the Mail added. "He was also heard to say, although it was not entirely clear whether it was her dress he was referring to, 'You've got to keep the curves, you see' - and gave a rather cheeky little chuckle."
Neelam revealed her outfit was by London-based, Norwegian-born designer Kristin Aadnevik, who likes to "celebrate femininity".
"I couldn't believe he had remembered what I wore (on Tuesday) and he admired my dress tonight," she gushed. "I am an ambassador for the British Asian Trust... and have also supported the Prince's Trust for a long time.
"I went to see some of their work earlier this year and... the transformation in them is just remarkable. Prince Charles is an incredible man and what he is doing for young people is astonishing. He is wonderful."
The feeling appears to be mutual.