Prince hosts global business chiefs

Financial and business leaders from around the world have gathered at a reception hosted by the Prince of Wales.

Charles chatted to many of the 150 guests who included Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble, Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty, and chief executive of Prudential Tidjane Thiam.

Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and the Duke of York also attended the reception at St James's Palace, which followed a global investment conference held in the capital.

Nick Baird, chief executive of UK Trade and Investment, said the event had been "terrific". He said: "It was a real opportunity for Britain to show it's open for business. As the Prime Minister said, in the last financial year we've achieved 15,000 new investment projects which means we're the number one destination in Europe."

"I think that the key things are the costs of business here is low - we now have a 20% corporate tax rate which is the lowest of anywhere and it has the best financial and legal services of anywhere else in the world. We also have a strong skills base - our universities provide some of the best graduates in the world."

Tech City Investment Organisation chief executive Joanna Shields, who chaired a panel on innovation and growth at the conference, said: "I told the Prince I was glad the panel I chaired was the most optimistic panel, which he liked.

"When businesses are set up in Britain they think globally from day one. It's the gateway to the rest of the world and that's referenced in the fact that we have such an event."

Ms Shields, who was previously an executive at Facebook and is also UK business ambassador for digital industries, said such an event would not be seen in the United States.

She said: "Any type of conference like this would be done by the private sector, you would never get the president to speak. The fact that you have David Cameron speaking today is extraordinary and that gives confidence to any international investors that the Government cares enough to have this type of outreach."

Mr Cameron used his speech at the conference to lash out at Tory "pessimists" demanding immediate withdrawal from the European Union. The Prime Minister said he believed it was "possible" to push through changes to the EU.