King Charles has marked his 75th birthday with a focus on public service, launching the Coronation Food Project to combat food poverty. The King and Queen visited a surplus-food distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, to officially launch the initiative, which aims to connect surplus food with charities and food banks.
It is understood that Prince Harry will call his father from the US to wish him a happy birthday, a gesture seen as a potential olive branch after reports of strained relations. The Duke of Sussex will not attend any private celebrations, but a phone call is expected.
The King's birthday also included a reception for 400 NHS nurses and midwives at Buckingham Palace, attended by Health Secretary Victoria Atkins. He thanked the nurses and spoke with a Kenyan nurse in Swahili, referencing his recent state visit to Kenya.
Ceremonial gun salutes were fired at the Tower of London and other locations. The King emphasised public service over glitzy parties, though a private dinner for close family and friends is planned.
The Coronation Food Project, co-chaired by Baroness Casey, aims to address food insecurity, which the King described as 'as real and urgent a problem as food waste'. He wrote in the Big Issue that 'cost-of-living pressures' are causing many to miss nutritious meals.
King Charles is now the sixth-oldest British monarch in history. He will attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this month and has rebranded his charities as the King's Trust and King's Foundation.
