King Charles Marks 76th Birthday with Food Initiative Amidst Health Struggles
King Charles III is celebrating his 76th birthday by focusing on charity work instead of hosting grand celebrations. The traditional military salutes rang out across London, with cannons firing in Green Park and the Tower of London, and the bells of Westminster Abbey pealing in celebration.
Despite the festivities, it was a working day for the King, who is known to mark both his actual birthday on November 14 and his official one in June, much like his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
To mark the occasion, the Royal Family’s social media accounts shared a new photo of the King, dressed in a sharp suit and blue patterned tie. The image was accompanied by birthday wishes from the Prince and Princess of Wales, who posted a heartfelt message featuring a snapshot from the King and Queen’s recent tour to Australia and Samoa.
King Charles marks birthday with opening of two food distribution hubs for the Coronation Food Project
Today, the monarch launched two new food distribution hubs as part of his Coronation Food Project, a year-old initiative aimed at tackling food waste and food poverty across the UK. These new hubs, located in south London and Merseyside, will work with charities like the Felix Project and FareShare to distribute surplus food to food banks, schools, and community centres.
The King, determined to spend his birthday serving the public, is also set to attend a “surplus food festival” in Deptford, where he will meet with community members who have benefitted from the initiative. Since its launch at King Charles’ 75th birthday last year, the project has already saved nearly 1,000 tonnes of food—equivalent to over 2.2 million meals—and the new hubs are expected to increase this impact. With the rising cost of living, this initiative comes at a crucial time, helping to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity in the UK.
This year has been particularly challenging for the King on a personal level, with both him and the Princess of Wales receiving cancer diagnoses. Despite ongoing medical care, he remains committed to his duties, making public appearances both domestically and abroad, including recent tours to France, Australia, and Samoa. Royal sources note that the King wants to continue his work and has not allowed his health to slow him down.
