Charles' dramatic birthday - Harry olive branch to Archie and Lilibet's surprise
King Charles apparently wanted his 75th birthday to be like any other normal working day, with minimal fuss.
But it seems King Charles' landmark day became something of a family affair with many of his royal relatives gathering at Clarence House for a party. Among the high-profile guests were the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as Mike and Zara Tindall. However, unsurprisingly missing was his youngest son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle - although it seems the Duke of Sussex did appear to offer an olive branch to his estranged father and even arranged a surprise from his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Here we take a look inside the celebrations...
Project launch
As the King insisted he wanted his landmark birthday to be a 'normal working day', visited the South Oxford Food and Education Alliance (SOFEA), part of the Fareshare network, in Didcot, Oxfordshire. Accompanied by Queen Camilla dressed in a green coat and black cape, he was shown around the SOFEA warehouse and offices before being treated to a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday as he celebrated three-quarters of a century by unveiling a new food waste initiative.
The King was seranaded with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)But the red-faced monarch remarked "Oh gracious!" as Baroness Louise Casey, who is helping to create his Coronation Food Project, asked whether he minded if guests serenade him. The King looked bashful as everyone joined in - including his wife who also clapped loudly at the end. "We are beyond delighted about it. It is such an honour for us and support for the project just wouldn't have happened without you. We are incredibly grateful to you," Baroness Casey added.
The Coronation Food Project was inspired and devised by the King who has long been concerned about waste, particularly when it comes to food and the cost of living crisis. More than 12 million tonnes of food is wasted each year in the UK alone.
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Mystery solved
Meanwhile, also on the visit, the King settled the old age question of whether the monarch handles cash as he slipped a Big Issue seller a £10 note, telling him "This is for you." The monarch met Big Issue seller Kelvin, 61, from London, after being introduced to Lord Bird, co-founder of The Big Issue.
King Charles hands over a £10 donation to a Big Issue seller (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)The King reached into his left pocket and retrieved a £10 note before placing it into the vendor's palm in exchange for his copy of the magazine, whose cover price is £4. After being handed a copy of the magazine, adorned with a new portrait of the monarch by esteemed photographer Rankin, the King then thumbed through it.
Many have pondered whether the late Queen carried cash with her or questioned what she carried in her handbag on royal engagements. Elizabeth II never usually carried money with her, however, was known to make an exception on Sundays when she would bring £5 or £10 notes to church in order to leave a discreet donation.
Palace party
Later in the day, the celebrations continued with the King chatting to hundreds of NHS nurses at Buckingham Palace. Charles hosted a reception in central London to highlight the work of nurses and midwives over the decades as part of the NHS 75 celebrations.
The King at a palace reception for nurses and midwives (PA)Among the guests were around 400 nurses and midwives from across the NHS as well as the new Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, following Monday's Cabinet reshuffle. The King took the time to meet many of the guests and the crowd around Charles was sometimes five deep as he made his way around a ballroom. He appeared to enjoy himself as he moved around the room making jokes and thanking nurses for their work.
Olive branch phone call
After duty was done, the King's attention turned to his family - and his estranged son Prince Harry telephoned him to wish him happy birthday as his father celebrated turning 75. The Duke of Sussex called his “Pa” following a day of engagements for the monarch, after the pair had barely been on speaking terms for months. Royal sources said it was likely to be a “nice surprise” for the King, who had not heard from Harry, either by phone or message, “for some time”.
The King and Prince William were outraged following the publication in January of Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, where he bemoaned his treatment by the royal family and savaged the institution while his ailing grandmother was still on the throne. The monarch was celebrated by his close friends and family last night at a private gathering alongside the Queen at his Clarence House home.
Prince Harry with King CharlesInitial reports had suggested that Harry had snubbed the bash, but his spokespeople in the US hit back with further claims that he had not been invited or had contact with any of his father’s Buckingham Palace staff. Harry’s phone call could be seen as an olive branch to his father, amid a testing time for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they navigate their lives after leaving the royal family.
A well placed royal source said: “The King would like nothing more than for peace to play out within his family. The last few years have been particularly testing for the monarchy and the King appears to be very much focussed on the future, rather than things that have happened along the way.”
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's surprise
But it wasn't just Harry who reportedly sent wishes from across the Atlantic - his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are also said to have shared a special tribute to their grandfather. The youngsters are understood to have recorded a special video for the grandfather. In the clip, the youngsters filmed themselves singing happy birthday.
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Harry and Meghan with Prince Archie, who is now four (Getty Images)
The King's youngest grandchild Princess Lilibet (PA)A source told the Telegraph Charles was "delighted" by the gesture. Charles has only met his two grandchildren on a handful of occasions. The source also said the King's chat with Harry was likely to be a "nice surprise" for the monarch, who had not heard from Harry, either by phone or message, "for some time".
Sources have revealed that the phone call proves that "both sides have a desire to bury the hatchet and start to mend their relationship." The source told the publication: "As the King joined close friends for a birthday dinner at Clarence House on Tuesday night, he will undoubtedly have felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.
William and Kate's late night party
Despite Harry and Meghan not being at the party, plenty of King Charles' relatives were, including the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It was close to midnight when the royal couple were spotted leaving Clarence House on Tuesday, where the King hosted a celebration for close family and friends. Photos show them smiling as they left the bash in an electric Audi at the end of the evening, with Princess Beatrice and Zara Tindall also among the happy guests.
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