King Charles, who hopes to leave the hardest year behind him

Forty-one cannon volleys fired at Green Park from King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillerythe ringing of the bells of Westminster Abbey and more cannon fire from the Tower of London: yesterday was the birthday of King Charles, who turned 76.

While the United Kingdom formally celebrated the special occasion, he spent his holiday as a normal day at work, fulfilling his commitments. It inaugurated two food distribution centerswithin its scope Coronation Food Projectlaunched a year ago to tackle poverty and food waste, and visited one of the new hubs in south London, which hosts a «surplus food festival» where meals will be prepared using foods that would otherwise have gone to waste. During the visit, he was joined by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. To date, the Coronation Food Project has raised £15m to design, build and operate a network of around ten hubs across the UK.

The royal family sent official greetings to the sovereign by publishing a new photographin which King Charles, standing in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palacesmiles at the camera in an elegant blue suit, white shirt, tie and pocket square with a blue pattern: «We wish His Majesty the King a very happy birthday today».

The Prince and Princess of Wales also sent their best wishes to the King on social media: «We wish His Majesty the King a very happy birthday!,” with a more informal photograph of the monarch, showing him on a recent overseas tour in Samoa, during his first visit as head of the Commonwealth.

The two birthdays

Being king of England, though, means celebrate two birthdays: The tradition began with King George II in 1748 (and Queen Elizabeth II continued it as well). He, like Charles, was born in November, when the British climate is already inhospitable. The “official” birthday of the sovereign is therefore celebrated on the second Saturday of June, during the warmer summer months, when for the military show Trooping the Colour 1,400 officers and soldiers parade through the streets of London, from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guard’s Parade. Pima, the Trooping the Colour it existed as an event in its own right, but was officially and permanently repurposed as a birthday celebration after George III became king in 1760.

The hardest year

It’s been a difficult year for the royal family, as both King Charles and Princess Kate have faced cancer diagnoses. Prince William broke his silence on this difficult year in an interview while in South Africa for his family Earthshot Prize Awards 2024. «It was terrible. It was probably the hardest year of my life. Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track was really difficult.” The heir to the throne praised both Kate Middleton and her father for the way they faced their cancer journey. “But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my dadfor handling things the way they did. But from the family’s personal perspective, it was, yes, it was brutal.”