Prince William was the guest of honour at a charity dinner last night where he was presented with a cake featuring a model of him and Kate driving Charles's Aston Martin in front of Buckingham Palace after their wedding last year.

The car-shaped cake was presented to the smiling prince as he attended a dinner in aid of the St Giles Trust, a charity which seeks to prevent offenders continuing their involvement in crime by helping people in trouble with the law resettle.

The Duke, who is patron of the Trust's 50th anniversary, paid tribute to the organisation, which he said "inspires" him.

He attended the dinner without Kate, and no reason was given for her absence.

He said: ''This charity truly inspires me. It has touched the lives of a quarter of a million people over the past five decades.

"These are people from the margins of society who, thanks to this charity, were able to recover from an appalling start and go on to live successful, productive and positive lives.

"What started as a small soup kitchen for the homeless and destitute has become one of the leading charities in this country helping ex-offenders to reform, resettle, and - critically - to break out of the costly and destructive cycle of reoffending.''