Princess Diana’s Goddaughter Helps Open Charity-Run Pub

In 2016, Princess Diana’s goddaughter Domenica Lawson proudly said she was “trying everything” as she stood inside a pioneering seaside café designed to give young people with learning disabilities real-world experience and a path into work.

Nearly a decade later, the charity created in her honor — Team Domenica — is taking that mission even further, quite literally “trying everything” to open more doors. Its newest venture: a pub. And on Dec. 4, 30-year-old Domenica was at the front door on opening night at The North Star in Brighton, greeting supporters, friends — and her aunt, chef Nigella Lawson — as they raised a glass to the milestone.

Born with Down syndrome, Domenica is the inspiration behind Team Domenica, which was founded by her mother, Rosa Monckton, 72, to help young adults with learning disabilities develop the confidence and skills needed to join the workforce.

The pub, in the seaside city of Brighton on England’s south coast, follows a series of cafes and a coffee roastery as outlets set up to help the young people supported by the charity get into meaningful jobs.

“We’re calling it the North Star because we guide them into work — that’s what we do — and we are a constant for them, even when they’re in work,” Monckton says.

Raising a glass to The North Star on Dec. 4, Lawson said, “May it shine brightly as a pub, as it is tonight. And may those who train here and who work here shine brightly too.”

“What Team Domenica is, yes, finding employment but [also] giving a sense of belonging, a sense of fun, a sense of community,” she added. “And I have to say, the things that I believe in very strongly are good food, community, a sense of coming together over food to make life have more meaning. There is a lot of shade in life, and it’s good to have some lightness as well.”

Standing behind the bar — where she quipped this was her “Pat Butcher moment,” a reference to a pub landlady in long-running British soap EastEnders — Lawson added of the opportunity for the young people, “It’s very hard work, it’s great work. I want to really say how absolutely amazed I am at how quickly everyone has worked to make this come together. Look at this beautiful place.”

She and actress Marisa Abela, who played singer Amy Winehouse in a biopic two years ago, have become the first patrons of Team Domenica, Monckton announced. She told PEOPLE that Domenica will be working at the pub.

Abela added her pride in taking on the ambassador role: “When I first met Rosa, I was inspired by her ability to uplift and champion a cause that is so close to her heart. And then when I met Domenica, I was even more inspired by you. You are kind and thoughtful and intelligent and wonderful. I would be in the pub every single day if I knew I would be here with you.”

The city “is all the richer for having this pub, and I am all the richer for having you as a friend,” she added.

Diana — who died in 1997 when Domenica was two — was a source of strength for her close friend Rosa Monckton and her husband, Dominic Lawson, as they found their footing with their young family, including older daughter Savannah.

“She said, ‘Believe in her, love her, and I’ll be there every step of the way,’ ” Monckton previously told PEOPLE. “She came with me to appointments. She was very much by my side.”

Now, Monckton — who became a member of the House of Lords in March 2024 and is now titled Baroness or Lady Monckton — believes hospitality, despite its pressures, is a natural fit for Team Domenica’s trainees.

When the first café opened, it trained 20 candidates; now, the charity supports around 100 students, runs three cafés and a coffee roastery, and partners with businesses across Brighton and surrounding areas. The pub is the next chapter.

“We are now a recognized special education needs college — and we just wanted to have more training opportunities for our candidates,” Lady Monckton tells PEOPLE.

Domenica herself works several days a week at one of the cafés and the roastery, and she’ll be on welcoming duty at the grand opening in December, alongside her best friend.

The project is backed by partner businesses, including trustee Gavin George, co-founder and former CEO of The Laine Pub Company.

“We wanted a warm, elevated and stylish environment that our candidates — and the city — could be proud of,” he says in a statement.

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“The North Star will provide the highest standard of food, drink and service, all delivered by our young people with the expert support of our hospitality team and Training Mentors,” he continues. “From food prep and pouring pints, to table service, they’ll be gaining hands-on experience that prepares them for meaningful employment. We must ensure that our candidates get the best experience possible, so they will begin their training in the new year once our core hospitality team have had chance to bed in.”