Speaking at a special dinner hosted by him and the Duchess of Cornwall for nearly 200 guests at Windsor Castle to celebrate the ‘splendidly unstoppable’ achievements they had made in recent years, Prince Charles hailed the success of Asian sports stars, TV shows and films such as East is East and Bend It Like Beckham.

Among the invited guests were comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar and his wife Meera Syal, cricketer Saj Mahmood, author Vikram Seth, newsreader Krishnan Guru Murthy and actor Art Malik.

During a speech to guests including Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the Prince praised the social and economic contributions the Asian community had made to enrich Britain.

He said two million people had settled in Britain from South Asia.

"We hear a great deal about the difficulties that such migration can cause but rarely we find a moment to look at the remarkable contributions it can bring to the fabric of this country. That is why I was keen to invite you here this evening to shine a light on the diverse skills and pool of talent that you represent."

He said that Asian culture had a timeless depth that touched every street in Britain ‘not just the one which houses the Kumars at Number 42’.