King Charles will mark his 75th birthday today with a reception hosting NHS staff at Buckingham Palace – and possibly a call from his youngest son.
Prince Harry is expected to phone his dad from the other side of the Atlantic to wish him many happy returns, according to BBC News.
The relationship between the two has been strained since the Duke of Sussex stepped down as a working royal in January 2020 and moved to the US with his wife Meghan.
Earlier this year, the couple were asked to move out of their UK home at Frogmore Cottage – a request that was reportedly sanctioned by the King.
Alongside Queen Camilla, the monarch is also using his big day to launch the Coronation Food Project, which aims to repurpose food ‘waste’ for social good.
The project was launched in the latest Big Issue magazine, which featured a new picture of the King taken by celebrity photographer Rankin.
His reception for nurses and midwives at the Palace marks the fact that the National Health Service is also turning 75 this year.
Around 400 members of health staff will attend, including Chief Nursing Officer of England, Dame Ruth May, and Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England.
A more traditional birthday party was held in the grounds of the King’s Highgrove home in Gloucestershire yesterday.
Keeping with the anniversary theme, it was attended by a number of community stalwarts celebrating their own 75th birthday this year, as well as representatives of the Windrush generation who arrived in the UK in 1948.
Today, the King is expected to celebrate the occasion privately with a dinner attended by close friends and family.
He also received a rainy 41-gun salute from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in London’s Green Park at noon, followed an hour later by a 62-gun salute from the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE : Why does King Charles III have two birthdays – and when are they?
MORE : Birthdays fit for a King! A full list of the Royal Family’s birthday dates as Charles III turns 75
MORE : Prince William and Kate crowned the world’s most stylish celeb couple