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!”
Pictured: Queen Camilla at Booker Prize reception
ICYMI: ‘I think I’m on the mend’: Queen attends Booker Prize reception after illness
The Queen said she is “getting much better” as she arrived at a Booker Prize reception in her first public engagement since falling ill with a chest infection.
Camilla congratulated shortlisted authors at Clarence House on Tuesday afternoon and the winner of the prestigious literary prize will be announced in the evening.
It is her first public engagement since she contracted the seasonal bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa two-and-a-half weeks ago.
The Queen was greeted in the Garden Room by chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, and chair of the 2024 judges, Edmund de Waal.
She shook their hands and told Ms Wood: “I’m obviously getting much better. A bit of sort of coughing going on.”
“I really wanted to come,” Camilla added.
Rebecca Ferguson has said it is “so easy to forget yourself” in the entertainment industry as she was recognised with a royal honour at Windsor Castle.
The Liverpool-born singer-songwriter finished runner-up on The X Factor in 2010 but has turned more towards activism in recent years.
She was made an MBE by the Prince of Wales on Tuesday for her services to the music industry, having campaigned for the introduction of the new regulatory body for the sector to ensure artist welfare.
Ferguson likened her experience of finding her way in the music industry after The X Factor, where she finished behind winner Matt Cardle, with boy band One Direction third, to the character Pip in Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations.
The real reason why King Charles doesn’t own a phone
Following her death, royal insiders disclosed that although the late queen detested smartphones, she did have one available to her.
King Charles, however, is not interested in carrying on the custom of royals using mobile phones.
The King doesn't have a phone, according to Hello!, since he has a vast army of staff members ready to connect him to anyone at any time.
Queen Elizabeth was also known for her fondness of classic landlines, however, it has been reported she only answered the phone when her daughter, Princess Anne, and racing manager John Warren called.
King to celebrate film and TV industry and meet stars at Gladiator II premiere
The King is celebrating the UK’s film and television industry at a special reception in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, before a night out at the star-studded Gladiator II premiere.
Charles will welcome directors, actors, TV presenters, stunt performers and costume designers to the historic royal residence in London.
At his side for part of the event will be the Queen, but Camilla is not expected to stay for the whole engagement with her diary adjusted this week to aid her recovery from a chest infection.
On the eve of his 76th birthday, the King will later make a solo outing to the glitzy global premiere of the highly anticipated Gladiator sequel at the Odeon Luxe in London’s Leicester Square after Camilla pulled out of attending the red carpet affair.
Charles will meet the film’s stars including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal, and director Sir Ridley Scott.
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Pictured: Imelda Staunton with royal honours
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