King Charles III has achieved quite a few professional milestones in the past year. But next month, he'll be reaching a personal one: It's his 75th birthday!
To mark his big day, a couple of the monarch's favorite royal properties are throwing parties in his honor.
Charles' charity, The Prince's Foundation, will host birthday parties at Highgrove, in Gloucestershire, England and Dumfries House, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Invitations are open to everyone, but there is a slight catch -- you have to be turning 75 as well to be eligible to apply for a ticket.
"We wanted to do something special to mark the occasion of His Majesty The King's 75th birthday. As part of our charity's role is to serve its communities, we thought it would be fitting to invite a select number of people who are also turning 75 this year to our beautiful sites for a celebratory afternoon," a spokesperson for The Prince's Foundation said.
Both events will be held on November 13, the eve of the King's birthday, and "will feature live music, afternoon tea, dancing and opportunities to socialise with others," organizers say.
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Nominations for guests opened on Monday and the charity is looking for members of the public from the local areas who "should be rewarded for doing good in their local communities, or who would benefit from the companionship that attending such an event would bring."
The King's charity regularly hosts monthly tea dances at its Dumfries House HQ as part of its health and wellbeing program. It puts on the events in a bid to reduce social isolation by bringing people together within the royal property's lush grounds.
Charles' actual birthday on November 14 is expected to be a relatively low-key affair in terms of public events. He may well appear in public and has been known to drop into the tea parties at his homes. But there won't be any extravagant flypasts or processions in the British capital. After all, he did that for his coronation in May and then there were, of course, his official birthday celebrations the following month.
For the first Trooping the Colour parade of his reign, Charles revived a royal tradition by riding on horseback -- the first time a reigning monarch had ridden in the procession since Queen Elizabeth II nearly four decades ago, in 1986.
Forgotten the fabulously British reason the monarch gets the privilege of two birthdays? Have a read of this.
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King will soon appear on Australian coins. |
Charles III will make his debut on Aussie change by Christmas, according to the Royal Australian Mint. The new likeness of the monarch will first appear on 10 million $1 coins before moving on to other denominations as needed next year. It was designed by the UK's coin manufacturer, the Royal Mint, and received approval from Buckingham Palace. Known as the Commonwealth Effigy, it features Charles without a crown and "as is traditional, the new effigy will switch direction," according to Andrew Leigh, Australia's Assistant Minister for Employment, Competition, Charities and Treasury, who explained that the Queen faced to the right and so Charles will face the left. Royal Australian Mint chief executive Leigh Gordon said staff at the mint appreciated the importance of the transition but added that "Australians can rest assured that all existing coins featuring the late Queen's effigy can continue to be used."
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Kate's emotional message on Ukraine donation box. |
It's no secret that the royal family have been vocal supporters of the Ukrainian people since Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion in February last year. This week, the Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to a center supporting families who have settled in Britain. The Vsi Razom Community Hub in Bracknell, just outside London, was set up by two women from the local area -- Ashleigh Toomey and Natalia Vil -- who teamed up when the conflict broke out to collect items and ship donations to Ukraine -- something the center continues to coordinate as well. During her visit, Kate helped volunteers prepare aid packages with essential items including clothing, food and toiletries. On one box, Kate wrote a heartwarming message: "We are all thinking of you."
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Prince William and the 2023 Earthshot finalists touch down in Singapore next month for the prince's annual environmental prize ceremony. However, one person will be noticeably absent: The Princess of Wales. Kate delighted royal-watchers stateside last year when the event was held in Boston, where she wore a rented gown and finished the look with an emerald necklace once worn by her late mother-in-law. Sadly, fans will miss out on the princess this time round as it's now been confirmed that she will not be attending this year's eco-prize ceremony. But she's got a very good reason. We understand her absence is down to a clash with some end-of-term exams Prince George is taking around the same time and the mom-of-three wants to be home to support him.
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Man who plotted to kill late Queen with crossbow sentenced. |
A British man who broke into Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow and planned to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II was handed a nine-year jail sentence Thursday. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was arrested on Christmas Day back in 2021 within the grounds of the royal residence, where the late monarch was staying at the time. The intruder was thought to have scaled the castle's perimeter wall with a nylon rope ladder before he was apprehended. British media reported that Chail was the first person in the UK to be convicted of treason in more than 40 years. Read the full story here.
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Princess Beatrice is opening up once more about her battle with learning difficulties and the impact on her family in a new podcast. The 35-year-old has often spoken about her own experiences of dyslexia, having been diagnosed in her childhood. Now patron of the Made by Dyslexia charity for more than 10 years, the princess joined the podcast episode to share her thoughts and help others better understand the common learning disorder. During the 25-minute conversation, Beatrice discussed what school was like, how her family supported her and how dyslexic thinking skills can be beneficial in the workplace. Beatrice said: "It's given me more joy in my life than I knew, being able to tell my story and know that maybe it might help somebody else." Listen to the episode of "Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking" featuring the princess here.
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"Who's pinching my bottom?" That was the cheeky quip from the Prince of Wales as he and Kate posed for a group photo during a visit to Wales this week, prompting huge laughter from gathered Caribbean elders. The couple were in Cardiff to mark the beginning of Black History Month. The trip was the completion of a promise to visit that William had made to community leader Uzo Iwobi when she was made a Commander of the British Empire earlier this year, according to the PA Media news agency.
The pair were helping celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush and the Caribbean people who helped rebuild Britain after World War II. William and Kate were mobbed by well-wishers at the Grange Pavilion community center, with the future king doling out hugs to guests as he made his way around the room. But while the royals and Windrush descendants clearly had a good time celebrating the Welsh capital's diversity, they also discussed the experiences and challenges the Windrush generation faced.
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