The King celebrates his 76th birthday today, marking the occasion with a visit to a surplus food festival. Treating it as a regular working day, Charles continues his official duties despite a
challenging personal year, during which both he and the Princess of Wales were diagnosed with cancer.
To commemorate the first anniversary of his Coronation Food Project, the monarch will inaugurate two new Coronation Food Hubs, aimed at addressing food need and reducing waste in the UK amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The first hub will be officially opened in Deptford, South London, where he will tour the center alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The King will also participate in a surplus food festival celebrating the royal visit and will virtually open a second hub in Merseyside.
Charles will attend the event solo, as the Queen, who had hoped to join, is still recovering from a chest infection.
On the eve of his birthday, the King walked the red carpet in black tie at the global premiere of Gladiator II in London, where he met stars like Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, and Pedro Pascal. He also hosted a celebrity reception at Buckingham Palace honoring the UK film and television industry, with notable attendees including Damian Lewis, Emily Mortimer, Lucien Laviscount, and Gladiator director Sir Ridley Scott. Queen Camilla joined him for part of the event.
In celebration of the King's birthday, the military will perform traditional honors: gun salutes will be fired in Green Park and at the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey bells will ring, where Charles was crowned in 2023.
Like his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has two birthdays: his actual birthday on November 14 and his official celebration on the second Saturday in June. Since 1748, the monarch's official birthday has been marked by the Trooping the Colour parade, traditionally held during warmer months for better weather.
Charles, born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, was the first child of the future Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. As Prince of Wales, he served as the longest heir to the throne, ascending as King on September 8, 2022, following his mother’s passing.
In February, news emerged that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, discovered during treatment for an enlarged prostate in January. After a period of limited public engagements, he returned to royal duties in April and has since participated in events including the D-Day commemorations in France, hosted a state visit for the Emperor of Japan, and conducted a recent tour of Australia and Samoa with the Queen, all while continuing outpatient cancer treatment. Photo by Dan Marsh, Wikimedia commons.