Derbyshire business woman Dominique gets Royal seal of approval from Prince Charles

A Derbyshire ‘underdog’ who left school without a GCSE to her name is now rubbing shoulders with Royalty after her business achieved international success.

Dominique Parlatt ‘shared a few jokes’ with the Prince of Wales and showcased her body positive fitness firm Warriors at a Royal reception celebrating The Prince’s Trust in London.

It’s been a journey a half for the 32-year-old, from Alfreton. Having been a young carer from the age of seven, Dominique, left school with no qualifications.

She was able to secure a host of short term jobs working in burger vans and cleaning trains- but there was always uncertainty about where the next job would come from.

Dominique reached a really difficult time in her life where she had experienced two failed marriages and had very little self-worth.

After hearing about The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme from a friend, she went along to her first meeting with her three month old baby in tow.

When Dominique told friends on social media that she’d been accepted onto the Enterprise programme they were ‘so excited’ for her.

These were the same people who had seen her during the hardest times in her life- organising her dad’s funeral aged 14 and feeling suicidal.

With the help of The Prince’s Trust, Dominique now runs a cosmetics company as well as Warriors, which runs ‘clubbercise’ style fitness sessions and recently opened a branch in New York.

The event, hosted at Phillips in Mayfair, celebrated the achievements of young people like Dominque who have been helped by the Trust’s Enterprise programme.

Princes Charles walked through a marketplace of pop-up stalls meeting young entrepreneurs who have received mentorship. Dominique said meeting him was ‘a great honour’.

Dominique said that meeting the Prince of Wales was a 'great honour'.

She added: "The event was been incredible. It’s so inspiring to meet entrepreneurs who have built up such innovative and successful businesses, even exceeding their own expectations in some cases. It’s so important to dream big, and that’s exactly what The Trust inspires people to do.

“The support I received from The Trust really boosted my confidence and transformed my outlook on life. Through my business, I’ve managed to help myself and others, while also securing a future for my family. I’d urge anyone who’s at a crossroads in life to get in touch with The Trust because they’ll do all they can to help you find your passion and make the most of it.”

If you would like to find out more about the Enterprise programme, or the Enterprise Fellowship and how you can invest in The Trust’s work, or if you are an alumni of The Trust’s Enterprise programme looking to join the Fellowship, visit princes-trust.org.uk or call 0800 842 842.