Prince Charles paid tribute Thursday to late actress and philanthropist Lynda Bellingham, saying she will be “hugely missed.”

The British royal praised the late star, who died on Oct. 18 at the age of 66 after losing her battle against colon cancer, for being a wonderful ambassador for his charity PRIME (Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise) and a “marvelous actress.”

The 65-year-old Prince Charles referred to Bellingham during a speech to delegates at the launch of his new PRIME initiative in London on Thursday.

“Before referring to the work of PRIME, I did just want to pay, if I may, a special tribute to Lynda Bellingham, who was, as many of you know, a wonderful ambassador for PRIME.

“Personally I was greatly saddened to learn that she had passed away. As you know, she was not only a marvellous actress but also someone who worked tirelessly for others.

“So she really will be hugely missed.”

Prince Charles has paid tribute to 'wonderful ambassador' Lynda Bellingham http://t.co/45voUGc3Wp pic.twitter.com/15QrO4EUKl

— HELLO! (@hellomag) October 24, 2014

The Faith in the Future star was slated to attend the launch of the campaign before her cancer spread to her lungs and liver.

The campaign was launched to encourage employers to give jobs to more than 1.1 million people over the age of 50 and who want to work again.

Prince Charles is "greatly saddened" by Lynda Bellingham's death http://t.co/i8LBM0BWVL pic.twitter.com/SFNhYaiapr

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) October 24, 2014

Following his tribute to Bellingham, Prince Charles called for employers to hire more people aged 50 and over, describing the “missing million” as a “valuable asset.”

“For what it’s worth, to me one key fact revealed by this research is that employing older people does not mean younger people are crowded out of the labor market,” he said.

“The number of jobs in the economy is not set. There is room to employ younger people and older people in a mix of skills and experience that creates better business.

“This research makes it clear that older workers are not a burden but a valuable asset.”