Britain’s King Charles turns 76 after a year of little celebration
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Both King Charles III and his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, have battled cancer this year.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
LONDON - Britain’s head of state King Charles III turned 76 on Nov 14, after a torrid year in which both he and his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, have battled cancer.
Ceremonial gunfire rang out across the British capital to mark the occasion after Charles spent the morning visiting a surplus food distribution centre in south London.
His wife, Queen Camilla, 77, did not join him at the Coronation Food Hub in Deptford as she was recovering from a chest infection that prevented her from attending last weekend’s Remembrance events for Britain’s war dead.
Senior royals wished him happy birthday with William, his elder son and heir, sharing a photo online of his father wearing sunglasses and a floral garland.
William has described the last 12 months as a “brutal” year because of the health issues affecting his wife and father that forced both to step back from royal duties.
The king’s cancer diagnosis
“The problem is trying to stop him,” Camilla has said several times since.
In October, the couple visited Australia then Samoa
According to those close to him, Charles returned “invigorated” from the 11-day trip, while one palace official said the king intended to return to a “normal” schedule of overseas trips in 2025.
His desire to fulfil his public duties may be influenced by the fact when he succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II, he was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history at 70 years.
Upon ascending the throne
Working week
On Nov 10, he led the nation in a two-minute silence to honour Britons killed in battle since 1914 at the Cenotaph memorial in London, one of the most important dates in the royal calendar.
The previous evening, he joined William and Kate, as Catherine is widely known, who recently completed chemotherapy for her own cancer diagnosis
On Nov 12, he hosted the king of Bahrain, then on Nov 13 held a reception at Buckingham Palace for the British film and TV industry, before attending a screening of Gladiator II to mark its global release.
Members of the public on Nov 14 greeted him at the Coronation Food Hub, a project he launched on his 75th birthday in 2023 to tackle food waste and support people in need.
Charles’ late mother remains at the top of YouGov’s royal popularity rankings, followed by Kate, his sister Princess Anne, and William. Charles is at fifth place.
The king remains estranged from his younger son Prince Harry and wife Meghan, and has seen both his and William’s finances scrutinised in a recent documentary.
In Samoa, he faced direct calls for slavery reparations stemming from Britain’s colonial rule, adding to concerns about his health.
Royal officials have not disclosed what type of cancer he and Kate were diagnosed with.
‘Dreadful’
Kate, 42, announced the end of her chemotherapy on Sept 9, in a widely praised video posted on social networks.
Earlier in November, William described the twin diagnoses as “dreadful”. “It’s probably been the hardest year of my life,” he told reporters on a visit to South Africa.
“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal,” he added.
Despite the better news, the health of senior royals is still being closely watched.
A doctor accompanied the king and queen to Australia and Samoa. The king and queen then spent three days at a wellness retreat in Bangalore, India, on their way back to “help break” the long journey, a palace spokesperson said.
A few days later, Camilla suspended a week of engagements because of a lung infection
