King Charles III, the crown of Britain, turned 75 today. He has planned to spend his birthday by public engagement, by visiting a food redistribution centre with his wife Queen Camilla. According to Reuters, Charles also plans to launch a scheme to tackle food poverty and cut down on waste. The ‘Coronation Food Project’ will support 14 million people in Britain who face food insecurity.
Back Story
Born on 14 November 1948, to mark the birth of the then-Princess Elizabeth’s first child, the crown launched a scheme to provide a gift food parcel to every family who had had a child on the same day. According to National Archives records, more than 2,600 gift parcels were distributed in this era of austerity, with items including soap, butter, dried egg, honey, marmalade, bacon and beef, as reported by BBC.
King Charles, who has spent 5 decades contributing to the environment and organising charities, plans to celebrate his birthday on similar lines.
Highlighting the campaign in an article in the Big Issue magazine, the King said: “Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste.” At noon, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, named after Charles’s grandfather King George VI, will give a 41-gun salute from London’s Green Park.
Following this, Charles would host 400 nurses from the National Health Services. National Health Services also mark their 75 years. Charles III took the reigns after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II last year. He was coronated in May this year.
As the King
Since taking over the throne, King Charles has taken various initiatives to maintain the relevance of the crown in the modern-day British Society. According to PTI, “Charles made three overseas visits, pledged to open the royal archives to researchers investigating the crown’s links to slavery and expressed “sorrow and regret’ for “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans during their struggle for independence.”
Will Harry and Meghan be a part of the celebrations?
The royal family has been amidst controversies, the recent one being the outcasting of his son, Prince Harry, who renounced the royal family and moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle. It is reported that the couple is not invited to the birthday celebrations of Charles. However, BBC reports that King Charles may receive a call from Prince Harry.