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Britain's sovereign didn't celebrate his 75th birthday with an extravagant soiree or an over-the-top display of pageantry on Tuesday. Instead, he followed his mother's tradition of marking the occasion in a low-key fashion and threw himself into his work.
In doing so, the King's messaging was clear: His primary focus is on public service. This theme is something King Charles III adopted from the earliest moments of his reign.
The centerpiece of the monarch's birthday plans this week was kicking off his new Coronation Food Project, an initiative he was inspired to launch with the dual purpose of tackling both food poverty and waste.
The program aims to create distribution hubs to take excess food and supply it wherever it's needed amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
To mark his special occasion, Charles' engagements on his birthday included a tour of a surplus food distribution center outside London. Accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, he wanted to see how food waste can be used for social good.
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Charles had revealed more about the new campaign in the latest edition of Big Issue, a magazine that helps the homeless, published Monday, which also saw the monarch become its newest cover star.
"Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste -- and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one," the King wrote in the publication.
"It is my great hope that this Coronation Food Project will find practical ways to do just that -- rescuing more surplus food, and distributing it to those who need it most."
As is tradition on the monarch's actual birthday, ceremonial gun salutes sounded across the country, including at the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle. |
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After visiting the food distribution center, where he was also treated to a surprise rendition of "Happy Birthday," Charles hosted a reception for nurses and midwives at Buckingham Palace in honor of the National Health Service, which is also 75 this year.
He rounded out the day with a private dinner with family at Clarence House. While Prince Harry was not there, we understand he was expected to call his father from California for his big day.
On Monday, King Charles shared his celebrations with others who were also turning 75. A couple of his properties hosted afternoons of live music and tea parties, with the monarch stopping by his home in Highgrove, Gloucestershire, to join the fun.
Another signal of the King's birthday theme of public service came from a change you may have missed this past week. It was recently revealed that three of the charitable organizations he established while Prince of Wales are being rebranded. The Prince's Trust is becoming the King's Trust. Likewise, the Prince's Foundation will be the King's Foundation. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund will be known as the King Charles III Charitable Fund going forward. |
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Prince William's new initiative to tackle youth violence. |
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The Prince of Wales wasn't messing around when he presented his vision for his new role last week. As he was leaving Singapore, he vowed to "actually bring change," and a week later he's putting his money where his mouth is. On Thursday, William was in Manchester, where his Royal Foundation joined forces with the city's mayor on a new employment and training program. It's a three-year collaboration between the Royal Foundation, city council, local business community and Manchester Peace Together Alliance.
Funding of £100,000 ($124,400) will support the new skills initiative aimed at providing better opportunities for young people, and the aim is to scale beyond the city in the future. The foundation and mayor have each committed £50,000 ($62,250), with the royal organization offering a further £25,000 ($31,100) to a local youth project for IT equipment and the refurbishment of a recording studio, where podcasts and other content are produced.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: "We know that working with partners and communities to provide opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity is the most effective way to ensure young people do not get involved with crime or violence." Burnham added that he was "delighted to be working with the Prince of Wales in this effort to support our young people into a brighter future." The new project is the third from the royal couple's nonprofit "designed to leave a tangible lasting legacy in communities visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales," according to the charity.
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This week saw Kate deliver the keynote speech at the first-ever Shaping Us National Symposium, where the findings from research orchestrated by her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood were revealed. The center recently conducted a "global listening exercise, involving experts from 21 countries around the world, to unite the thinking and agree on the key foundational skills we lay in early childhood."
Held at London's Design Museum on Wednesday, the event brought together child and adult specialists to discuss the findings and explore ways to prioritize social and emotional growth. Kate launched her Shaping Us public-awareness campaign back in January, expanding on what Kensington Palace described to us at the time as her "life's work." Her goal with the project is to improve our understanding of the formative years of an individual's life. Find out more here.
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King Charles led Remembrance Sunday services at the Cenotaph in London in honor of British and Commonwealth service personnel killed in World War I and other conflicts. The monarch was accompanied in front of the Whitehall memorial by Princes William and Edward, and Princess Anne. The royals joined the nation as it fell silent and laid wreaths during the moving service. The Queen, the Princess of Wales and several others watched proceedings from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which overlooks the monument.
The night before, Charles and Camilla attended the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall, where they unveiled new statues of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh. The life-size bronze sculptures were among four commissioned by the venue for its 150th anniversary. Other working royals were also there to mark the occasion. One family member who wasn't at the commemorative events over the weekend, however, was the late Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent. The 88-year-old was forced to pull out at short notice due to reported health issues.
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Prince Harry secured an early win in his legal fight against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper over allegations of unlawful information-gathering. A British High Court judge ruled last Friday that his case with six other high-profile claimants could proceed toward trial next year. Associated Newspapers Limited, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday newspaper and the MailOnline, tried to have the case dismissed at a hearing in March. However, Justice Matthew Nicklin said ANL had failed to deliver a "knockout blow" to any of the claims brought by the group. Read more here.
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'The Crown' loses more of its luster as its final season turns to Princess Diana. |
Blame it on the subject matter, or perhaps merely the difference between more recent events and decades-old ones, but "The Crown" has saved the worst for last, following its disjointed fifth season with a sixth that feels more tabloid-y and less stately.
After sweeping the Emmys with the previous iteration of its cast, the Netflix drama looks ready to limp across the finish line unbowed, but slightly bloodied. Read CNN's review of the final season here.
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"It’s hard to find a show you can binge-watch that many episodes of these days… But good shows are everlasting."
– Duchess of Sussex
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The duchess was beaming when asked about the renewed popularity of her show "Suits" on Netflix as she arrived at the Variety Power of Women event in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. "Suits" aired from 2011 to 2019 and also starred Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty and Gina Torres. Speaking on the red carpet, Meghan said the show was "great to work on" with "such a great cast and crew." She added, "We had a really fun time." Read more on Meghan's night out here.
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