Fasha Mahjoor flew to England last week to dine with royalty at Buckingham Palace. But when he first received the invitation, he wasn’t too excited.

“I didn’t take it seriously,” said the chief executive and founder of Phenomenex Inc., a Torrance-based technology company with offices in England. “We do a lot of practical jokes and I thought it must have been from one of the managers. But I contacted them and indeed it was the real McCoy.”

Mahjoor, 58, was among about 150 business leaders active in the philanthropic world who were invited to the regal residence to celebrate the 90th birthday of Prince Philip. Eric Clapton provided the entertainment.

Mahjoor has been to the United Kingdom numerous times, but said he has never been to Buckingham Palace. Now that he can cross that off his list, he has another goal.

“Never been to the White House,” he said with a laugh. “I’m waiting for the invitation.”

‘Not About Us’

For some Ernst & Young employees, figuring out what to do for the accounting firm’s annual community service day can be a head-scratcher. But not for Andy Sale.

The Ernst & Young partner knew he wanted to go play at the California Science Center, where he has served on the board for the better part of the past decade. Sale, the accounting firm’s greater L.A. advisory leader, spent the day helping dozens of local middle schoolers build miniature boats and roller coasters at the center.

The firm shut down its L.A. office for a day this month in support of the second annual EY Connect Day, when almost 600 employees volunteered for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Downtown Women’s Center.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Sale, 48. “Getting together outside of the office, working together in an endeavor that’s not about us was a great use of a Friday.”

Staff reporter Richard Clough contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].