2023-11-14 04:11:00
Charles III with the magnificent Imperial State Crown on his head: The sight was still somewhat unusual when the British monarch recently opened Parliament in London for the first time with a “King’s Speech”. Although he celebrates his 75th birthday today, he is a newcomer to the throne. When his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated her 75th birthday in 2001, she had already been queen for almost half a century.
But the past year has not been uneventful. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla (76) have now completed three state visits, the Trooping the Color birthday parade and countless receptions. More importantly, more than a year following his mother’s death and six months following his coronation, some peace has returned to the Windsor household.
Food waste
Yesterday King Charles celebrated at his country estate, Highgrove House, with a party hosted by his educational foundation, The Prince’s Foundation. Among those invited were special guests who, like the king, were born in 1948. The 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service (NHS) and the arrival of the first guest workers from the Caribbean (“Windrush Generation”) were celebrated with live music and dancing.
King Charles and Queen Camilla (76) will spend today, among other things, visiting a center for the distribution of surplus food outside London. The Royals are thus setting the starting point for the “Coronation Food Project”. It aims to bridge the gap between food waste and demand and is being implemented across the UK.
Picture gallery: Charles III turns 75: stages in the king’s life
(Photo: (APA/AFP/POOL/STEFAN ROUSSEAU)) Bild 1/21
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The British monarch’s birthday last year was not quite as pleasant and free from negative headlines. At that time, the release of the six-part Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and the autobiography of his son Harry (39) “Spare” (in German: “Reserve”) was imminent. Both were riddled with unpleasant indiscretions and accusations that dragged the royal family into a maelstrom of negative headlines.
Among other things, there was an accusation that Harry’s wife Meghan (42) had fallen victim to prejudice within the royal family because of her partly African-American roots. Harry also made serious allegations once morest his stepmother Camilla and his brother Prince William (41). Although the waves are no longer as high as they were a year ago, reconciliation is not yet within reach, the Sunday Times quoted a palace insider as saying.
Successful state visits
Charles’ state visit to Germany last March, however, was a complete success. It was similar in France in late summer. In both countries, Charles spoke to parliaments in the local language, conjuring up friendship and close ties: it was balm for the soul of Great Britain’s European allies, battered by Brexit.
However, the journalist and royals expert Alexander von Schönburg sees Charles as a tragic figure overall. During the speech he recently gave during his state visit to Kenya, it was “clearly noticeable how much his hands are tied to make a grand gesture in any direction because he is simply not allowed to do that.” He was not allowed to meet the Kenyans’ demands for an apology and reparations for the injustices suffered during the time of the Empire. The nobleman believes that the sensitive king certainly has great compassion for the victims of colonial injustice and wants to go further than reasons of state allow him.
Government determined
The fact that Charles is head of state in Great Britain, but is by no means always the master of his own actions, became clear in 2022 when the government in London refused to allow him to take part in the World Climate Conference because, as an avowed climate activist, he was once morest the exploitation of new oil and gas fields the North Sea had pronounced. This year Charles is “allowed” to take part in the conference in Dubai.
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