Prince George, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, King Charles and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour in June.Photo:Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty
Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare leading the charge forKing Charles’ banner birthday.
“Wishing His Majesty The King a very happy 75th birthday!” Prince William and Princess Kate’s team wrote on X and Instagram with a birthday cake emoji, posting three photos — including two family shots.
The first image showed Charles and William with their arms around each other during a 2004 ski vacation in Klosters, Switzerland.
Missing from the photo call wasPrince Harry, who did not appear to be on the trip. Then-Prince Charles was known to take ski holidays with his two sons in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the 2004 adventure may have fallen during Harry’s gap year of travel, according to hisroyal bio.
The second shot was a solo photo of Charles from a ceremonial tree planting at the British ambassador’s residence during hisstate visit to FrancewithQueen Camillain September, and the third picture was snapped duringTrooping the Colourin June. The image showed King Charles and Queen Camilla alongside Prince William and Princess Kate plus their three kids —Prince George, 10,Princess Charlotte, 8, andPrince Louis, 5 — on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the first official birthday parade of King Charles’ reign.
The royals gave a wave during the festive flypast in a balcony moment that was memorable as one of themost slimmed-downTrooping the Colour contingents ever. Other royals on the balcony who were not pictured includedPrincess Anne, her husbandVice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence,Prince EdwardandSophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Meanwhile, the Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester stood off to the side — making one of the smallest groupings in recent royal history.
Then-Prince Charles and Prince William in Klosters, Switzerland in 2004.John Stillwell - PA Images/PA Images via Getty
John Stillwell - PA Images/PA Images via Getty
Members of the family who missed Trooping the Colour but attended in the past includedPrince Andrew, who stepped back from public duties in 2019 following hisbombshell interview with the BBCabout his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein before Queen Elizabethstrippedhis titles and patronages in 2022.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry,Meghan Markle, and their children —Prince Archie, 4, andPrincess Lilibet, 2 — did not travel across the pond for the birthday parade following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s step back from their royal roles and relocation to Meghan’s home state of California in 2020.
While Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, have not wished the King a happy birthday in a public way, Prince Andrew’s ex-wifeSarah Fergusonhas. On Tuesday, the Duchess of York, 64, shared a black and white throwback snap of Charles.
“Wishing the happiest of birthdays to His Majesty, King Charles III. Long live the King,” the Duchess captioned the undated shot on Instagram.
The British royal family’s official social media pages also marked the King’s birthday with a video that showed photos from each year of King Charles' life.
Milestones shown in the photos included his 1969 Prince of Wales investiture ceremony, his 2005 wedding to Camilla and the coronation that took place in May.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, 76, kicked off his birthday at work. On Tuesday afternoon, theroyal couple visiteda distribution center in Didcot to launchthe Coronation Food Projectwhich “seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom, helping people and helping the planet,” according to the palace.
The committed conservationist sees his new project as a way of countering what he calls the “tragedy” of food waste. Last week, King Charles penned a piece forThe Big Issuemagazine, which helps homeless people get back on their feet.
King Charles and Queen Camilla at the food surplus distribution center on Nov. 14.Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
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“At every stage of the food production process, millions of tonnes of food are sadly discarded,“he wrote, “That, in itself, is a tragedy. But there is a second part to this equation, and that is the extent to which too many families and individuals are missing out on nutritious meals due to the cost of living pressures that have caused hardship for so many right across the country.”
King Charles on his birthday, Nov. 14.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
King Charles' milestone birthday was also marked with gun salutes and the ringing of the Westminster Abbey bells.
Although Westminster Abbey was known for ringing its bells to celebrate the birthdays of numerous senior members of the royal family, the tradition has changed in recent years. Before 2020, the bells marked the birthdays of 12 royals. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their four children — then now-King Charles,Princess Anne, Prince Andrew andPrince Edward— all received the honor, as did Charles' wife, Camilla. Prince William, Kate and their kids — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — completed the list.
However, the bells are only ringing for four royal birthdays in 2023: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate.
The festivities aren’t finished yet, as it’s also expected that members of the royal family will privately gather for a birthday celebration in King Charles’ honor.
source: people.com
