But for the most unlikely reason…
Yesterday marked the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony, with the Queen and Prince Harry welcoming young people from all over the Commonwealth for their work transforming their communities.
The annual awards celebrate young people aged between 18 and 29 who are making a difference in their community – everything from cancer-awareness campaigning and pushing for improvements in gender equality to using social media as a platform for change.
Liam Payne was one of the high profile figures to attend the event, getting to meet the Queen and hang out with the other mentors, including Olympian Mo Farah, TV presenter Anita Rani, and YouTuber Caspar Lee.
It wasn’t Liam’s presence however that got the Internet talking, instead it was his attire, with the 23-year-old singer looking almost unrecognisable, ditching his baggy ‘street’ clothes and Yeezys for a smart suit and glasses.
‘I am ready for so many things but Liam Payne in a suit and glasses is not one of them’, tweeted one fan, while a few others commented on the resemblance between the singer and Harry Potter.
Taking to his social media, Liam tweeted, ‘An absolute honour to meet the Queen today. Privileged to share the room with such inspirational Queen's Leaders and hear their stories.’
Prince Harry closed the event, delivering an inspirational speech to the 200-strong audience of winners and guests. ‘These young people are already tackling many of today’s most pressing issues and will be the creative minds to take on the biggest challenges we will face in the future’, he explained.
'It's our job – those of us who can no longer hand-on-heart call ourselves 'young' – to create a platform where we can listen to the next generation and empower them to act.'
