Royal news live: King Charles celebrates milestone birthday as Palace unveils regal portrait and sweet tribute
A new portrait of the King was unveiled to mark the monarch’s 76th birthday
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Your support makes all the difference.The King has celebrated his 76th birthday by visiting a food distribution hub as part of his drive to support charities feeding the nation.
A smiling Charles appeared on good form as he arrived at the Deptford Trading Estate in south London for the engagement, without the Queen who is recovering from a chest infection.
Charles was opening the first Coronation Food Hub at the Deptford site, and a second one in Knowsley, Merseyside, virtually.
Volunteers from the Felix Project, who were dressed in the charity’s signature green, clapped and cheered the monarch and waved flags as he stepped from his Bentley.
The Royal Family wished the King a happy birthday, with the Prince and Princess of Wales sharing a candid photo of him in Samoa wearing sunglasses and a floral garland around his neck.
A congratulatory message with a more formal portrait of the King standing in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace was also unveiled online.
William and Kate’s account shared an image of Charles in the sunshine during his recent long-haul overseas trip to Samoa as he was opening The King’s Garden at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in Apia.
The message read: “Wishing a very Happy Birthday to His Majesty The King!”
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Queen to attend Booker Prize reception
The Queen is attending a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House on Tuesday, but will meet guests for a shorter period than planned.
Camilla will also still attend a Palace reception with the King on Wednesday to celebrate the TV and film industry, but she is not expected to be present for the entirety of the engagement.
She has also pulled out attending the star-studded Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday evening. The changes to her diary are understood to have been made to protect and prioritise her continued recovery, with royal doctors keen to prevent any setback from a nasty seasonal illness.
Queen Camilla to return to public duties
The Queen will return to public duties today after her chest infection but will miss the Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday to aid her recovery, a royal source said.
Camilla missed the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, as well as Remembrance Sunday as she recovered from the illness.
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Queen Camilla issued a heartfelt statement on the tearful turning point that prompted her to campaign for domestic abuse awareness. Her Majesty was joined by Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was killed by her estranged husband in 2010, in her new ITV documentary Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors. The pair first met at a SafeLives' Survivors Meeting in 2016. "I tried to put myself in your shoes and thought to myself, What if it had been my daughter?" Camilla told Parkes. "My reaction, I'm afraid, was to cry."
Beloved Harry Potter star and Duran Duran rocker to receive royal honours at Windsor Castle
The beloved Harry Potter star Imelda Staunton and Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon are among those set to receive royal honours at Windsor Castle.
Dame Imelda, who portrayed Dolores Umbridge in the fantasy series, as well as portrayed the late Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix drama The Crown, will receive her title for services to drama and charity on Tuesday.
Le Bon, whose hit songs include Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf, said he was “thrilled” to be made an MBE for his services to music and charity.
A list of Honours, recognising outstanding achievements, personal bravery and services to the UK and British Overseas Territories, is published twice a year by the Cabinet Office.
The presentation of the award insignia - or medals - however, happens at Investitures all throughout the year.
Health crises and conspiracy theories: How 2024 became Prince William’s ‘annus horribilis’
William has spoken candidly about the royal family’s major health scares, saying 2024 has “probably been the hardest year in my life” and a “dreadful” experience.
Both his father, King Charles and his wife, Kate, were diagnosed with cancer this year - putting considerable strain on the royals both mentally and physically.
As he attended the awards ceremony for his Earthshot Prize in Cape Town, William was asked to reflect on the year as it comes to a close by reporters, in which he said: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
He added: “So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
“But 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.”
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Charles and William face calls to dissolve private estates and back out of lucrative NHS deal
King Charles is facing calls to dissolve his lucrative private estates and refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is making millions from renting out ambulance parking spaces and sub-standard properties.
The monarch and Prince William have sparked uproar after it was revealed they are benefiting from rental deals with public services – including the armed forces and state schools – on their private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The two estates earned the royals upwards of £50m in the last financial year, with both being exempt from paying corporation tax or capital gains tax.
Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years.
Campaigners described the deal as “disgraceful” and a “money-grabbing activity” which ought to be reconsidered by the King.
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