King Charles 75th birthday RECAP: NHS choir treat the King to a surprise rendition of ‘happy birthday’ at Buckingham Palace reception to celebrate nurses and midwives

King Charles listened as members of the NHS Choir sang during a meeting with nurses and midwives to celebrate their work at Buckingham Palace.

The King appears to be beaming this evening as he talks with nurses and midwives.

The King appeared to be in good spirits after arriving at the event, with the monarch seen laughing and joking with nurses and midwives at the Buckingham Palace reception.

Nurses and midwives who have been invited to tonight’s event have taken to social media to express their excitement.

Buckingham Palace has invited 400 nurses and midwives from NHS trusts across Britain to this evening’s reception.

Attendees will meet His Majesty, as well as the Health Secretary, the Chief Nursing Officer of England and the Chief Executive of NHS England at the event.

As well as British nurses and midwives, a selection of international nurses and midwives working in the UK have also been invited.

The age old question of what do you get someone who already has everything rings true in the Royal Family.

Queen Camilla has revealed in the past just how difficult it can be to find an appropriate gift for the famously workaholic King.

She previously said: ‘I will tell you that he is the most difficult person in the world to buy a present for… So he likes to make a list of things that he wants so you get it exactly right.’

He likes ‘a cake and a bit of a sing-song’, she said, adding however that it was often difficult to get him to take a break.

Charles will take a moment with close family and friends this evening for a celebration, but only after attending a Buckingham Palace reception for nurses and midwives to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS this afternoon.

This is the moment King Charles handed a Big Issue seller £10 for a copy of the £4 magazine while in Didcot earlier.

Speaking to the Mail’s Rebecca English after the interaction, the Big Issue vender Kelvin said the King was a ‘good man’.

The 61-year-old said: ‘He is using his position to facilitate change. His mother would be proud of him. She was a benevolent and kind person [too].’

The bells at Wesminster Abbey rang out this afternoon as the sacred venue where His Majesty was crowned earlier this year paid tribute to him.

Bellringers at the famous abbey rang 575 changes of the tune Stedman Caters, followed by Bristol Surprise Royal, in honour of Charles’s 75th birthday.

People around the world have been wishing King Charles a happy birthday. These include:

During his visit to Oxfordshire today, King Charles also took time to pay for a copy of the Big Issue.

His Majesty was seen giving Big Issue seller Kelvin, who was accompanied by the magazine’s founder Lord John Bird, a £10 note.

The King is on the cover of the latest edition of the magazine, which also features an interview with him about his latest charitable endeavour, the Coronation Food Project.

Richard Eden has recalled how a touching moment between Charles and his grandson Prince Louis captured on camera has summed up the monarch’s role to the nation.

In a TikTok video, the Mail’s Diary Editor said the moment four-year-old Louis climbed onto the lap of Charles during the Platinum Jubilee Pagrean in June last year, has become his favourite involving the now-King.

He said the monarch’s reaction turned what could have been an awkward moment into a ‘great bit of family fun’.

He added: ‘What we saw there was Charles the family man, the grandpa, and now he’s becoming the grandfather of the nation.’

Justin Trudeau has issued a statement wishing King Charles a happy birthday from across the Atlantic.

The Prime Minister of Canada paid tribute to His Majesty’s ‘constant presence’ and thanked him for his ‘duty and commitment to public service.’

He said: ‘For decades, he has advanced important causes close to his heart, including conservation, sustainable development, health care, and education, with a focus on building a better future for the next generation.

‘The Prince’s Trust, which he founded almost 50 years ago, has helped one million young people and Veterans around the world, including here in Canada, achieve their full potential.

‘On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish His Majesty a very happy 75th birthday and continued health and happiness.’

You can read Prince William’s tribute to the King here.

King Charles appeared in good spirits during his visit to FairShare in Didcot in Oxfordshire today.

His Majesty, who was accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, was in good form, sharing jokes and laughing with staff and volunteers.

In a tribute to King Charles this morning, the Royal Family’s social media accounts posted a photobook-style montage of images showing the monarch throughout his life.

The 39-second clip was posted on X this morning by the @RoyalFamily account and rolls back the decades for the monarch as he celebrates a milestone birthday – showing some of the most important moments of his life and more intimate photos spent with family members through the years.

The post included images of:

• The late Queen – including one from 1948 when she was pictured for the first time in public with her firstborn. Charles is seen fast asleep wearing a royal christening gown in his mother’s arms.
• Princes William and Harry also appear – although not together – with happy scenes from their childhood flashing past, including the moment the then-Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana introduced their second son to the world at St. Mary’s Hospital in London in September 1984.
• There’s also a November 1997 image of the then Prince Charles with a young Prince Harry as father and son are seen smiling together as they recorded their handprints in concrete while on an official visit to South Africa.
• Elsewhere, a 1998 snap of Charles with Princes William on the slopes in the Swiss ski resort of Klosters, a long-time faovourite of the royals, also appears.

Read the story in full below.

The Israeli Embassy and the US ambassador have wished King Charles a happy birthday.

The diplomatic missions from the countries, both of which are firm allies of Britain, took to social media to pass on their best wishes to His Majesty.

His Majesty has revealed his ‘birthday wish’ is to battle the twin problems of food waste and food poverty.

Writing in the Big Issue today, Charles said it was a ‘tragedy’ that millions of tonnes of food is wasted every year while at the same time people struggle to feed themselves and their families in the cost of living crisis.

The King said he hoped the introduction of the Coronation Food Project could help find ways to ‘rescue more suplus food and distributing it to those who need it most’.

He revealed the project would supply commercial fridges and freezers to 800 locations across the country, and hoped to to create regional food hubs to receive and redistribute surplus food.

Charles added: ‘To mark my 75th birthday in this Coronation year, I could ask for no greater gift than that the Coronation Food Project creates a lasting legacy to help others – and help the planet.’

King Charles as even received a birthday shoutout from every child’s favourite comic strip, the Beano.

In a message posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), the long-running comic wrote: ‘Long may you reign, and continue installing custard taps across Beanotown, ensuring every day is sweeter than the last!’

It also inlcuded a special birthday comic panel featuring His Majesty holding a piece of cake, along with Camilla, as well as various members of the Beano catalogue for a party.

King Charles’s proud as punch reaction to seeing Princess Catherine on the red carpet at the premiere of James Bond film No Time To Die was shown around the world.

And His Majesty’s reaction left its mark on the Daily Mail’s executive picture editor Claire Cisotti, who said it remains stuck in her mind when she thinks about him.

In a TikTok video she said: ‘His [Charles’s] face was just so radiant and he was smiling at her like a proud father would with a daughter.

‘It was clear from these photos how much he cares for her. Even last week in Nairobi he was talking about his beloved daughter in law. He really hit the jackpot with Kate as a daughter in law, as a mother to his three grandchildren and an amazing wife for his son.’

While his Majesty is currently visiting staff and volunteers at FairShare Didcot in Oxfordshire, his busy schedule shows no signs of letting up.

• Host a reception at Buckingham Palace for 400 nurses and midwives as part of this year’s 75th anniversary celebrations for the National Health Service
• The King is also expected to spend some time in private to mark the occasion with his family

Despite the pouring rain in Edinburgh this afternoon, members of the public were happy to get a little wet to watch the 21-gun salute.

After making their way up the Royal Mile in the centre of the Scottish capital, the crowd – many of whom were covered by plastic raincoats or sheltering under umbrellas – saw the artillery fire.

King Charles was seen looking a little shy as staff and volunteers at FairShare in Oxfordshire, led by Baroness Louise Casey, sang Happy Birthday to him this afternoon.

After Baroness Casey thanked the monarch for his support of the project, she asked His Majesty if he would be willing to put up with the rendition.

A visibly embarressed Charles was seen making the crowd laugh with an off-camera remark, before sharing a smile with Camilla as the audience sang.

In addition to the gun salutes held in London today, the 16 Regiment Royal Artillery held their own tribute to King Charles in Edinburgh.

Members of the regiment held a 21-gun salute from atop the iconic Edinburgh Castle as they paid tribute to the monarch.

There was also a similar artillery salute to the monarch in Swansea this afternoon.

Politicians have continued to send their well wishes to the King on his birthday.

Among those giving their best to His Majesty are Tory MPs Mark Jenkinson and Anna Firth, as well as Welsh Conservatives Leader Andrew RT Davies.

The King and Queen were all smiles as they braved the pouring rain to travel to a food distribution hub in Oxfordshire this afternoon.

The couple were marking the launch of the Coronation Food Project, which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need, and were greeted by staff and volunteers.

You can see their arrival in the video below:

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company have fired a 62-gun salute outside the Tower of London to mark His Majesty’s birthday.

It follows from the 41-gun salute fired at Green Park at midday.

There were an additional 21 guns fired at the 1pm event on the banks of the River Thames to mark that it was taking place in the City of London.

The National Memorial Arboretum, the UK’s year-round centre of Remembrance, has wished the King ‘many happy returns’.

It is part of The Royal British Legion family of charities.

A limited edition whisky costing £750 has been launched to celebrate the King’s birthday.

The Royal Collection Trust is selling just 75 bottles of the 70cl single malt whisky, which was distilled in the celebrated Speyside region of Scotland and then matured in a sherry cask for 18 years.

It has aromas of vanilla, orange peel and almonds, which combine on the palate with dried apricots, pear drops and a hint of ginger.

It comes in a satin lined gift box with a certificate of authenticity.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at a food distribution hub in Oxfordshire for the first engagement of his birthday.

The royal couple were not deterred by the rain and were full of smiles as they were greeted by volunteers on the special ocassion.

Charles will officially launch the Coronation Food Project which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need.

They will hear from staff and volunteers at the centre about the ways food waste can be used for social good.

Workers laughed as he told them ‘I hope you’ve had a lunch break!’

Gun salutes have rung out at London’s Green Park as King Charles celebrates his 75th birthday.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41 gun salute at midday.

The tradition dates back to the 15th century.

On the anniversary of the birth, accession or Coronation of the Sovereign, 62 guns are fired from the Tower.  This is said to be 41 for the Royal Salute from a London saluting station and 21 from the City of London.

When the salute is given from a Royal Park an extra 20 guns is added, becoming a 41-gun salute.

Described as a ‘really splendid baby’, the tiny Prince Charles was born 75 years ago today in the palace he now occupies as monarch.

The then Princess Elizabeth had endured a difficult 30 hours of labour before she underwent a Caesarian in a makeshift maternity ward in the palace’s Belgian Suite.

Soon afterwards, the thousands of Britons who were massed outside the palace gates got the news they had been waiting for.

Having just been told by royal page Stanley Childs, the police inspector on duty told the masses through cupped hands: ‘It’s a prince’.

Moments later, cheers went up as the news spread through the crowd.

Prince Philip, who had been engaged in an anxious game of squash while his wife was in labour, swiftly returned to the palace, where he cracked open a bottle of champagne.

The Queen told her music teacher in the following weeks that Charles had an ‘interesting pair of hands for a baby’ – a fact which has been commented on in more recent years.

Read the story in full below.

Some interesting facts about our Monarch to share on his birthday include:

• His first word was ‘Nanna’
• Charles became heir apparent at just three years old
• The Prince was head boy
• He always travels with a bag of his own blood
• The King does not have a mobile phone
• The King’s favourite tea is Darjeeling

For a list of 75 things you didn’t know about the King on his 75th birthday, click the link below!

Richard Kay, the Mail’s Editor At Large, has recounted the hilarious moment King Charles recreated the dance from The Full Monty.

In a TikTok video he recalls how the future monarch did a rendition of the dance while avoiding removing his clothes in the manner which made the movie so famous.

‘He did all the right moves and it was a demonstration I felt, not only of his willingness to play ball, but to send himself up in a gentle kind of way,’ he said.

When the Charles was born 75 years ago the news was carried on the front page of the Daily Mail with the understated title ‘Prince for Elizabeth’.

Palace insiders told the paper the child, born Charles Philip Arthur George, was ‘a lovely boy, a really splendid baby’.

The future king was born in the Belgian Suite of Buckingham Palace after his mother, then Princess Elizabeth, spent 30 hours in labour.

The Balmoral Castle & Estate has sent birthday wishes to the King.

Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since it was bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, having been first leased in 1848.

The grounds are now open to the public on specific dates over the autumn and winter months. People can enjoy a relaxed walk in the grounds, visit the outside of the Castle and the Mews Gift Shop and Cafe.

The Royal Family of Norway have passed their congratulations onto Charles with a Happy Birthday post on Instagram.

The family’s official account shared a photo of His Majesty with King Harald V of Norway, taken during his visit to the country in 2012.

In the post, the family wrote:’Happy birthday King Charles! 🥳

‘We congratulate King Charles who turns 75 today. The picture is from 2012 when the then Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla were visiting Norway.’

Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English has looked back at her favourite King Charles moment.

In a TikTok video, she recalls being at the Sandringham flower show in July when she spotted a pie she says had been made to look like his Majesty with ‘large pastry ears’.

‘He had such a chuckle about it,’ she says. ‘He’s someone that can really understand the humour in situations and doesn’t mind being gently teased himself.’

The Prince and Princess of Wales have joined the chorus of tribute to His Majesty by posting an image of the King with his eldest son.

The image shows Charles and his then-teenage son William embracing while on a skiing holiday in Klosters, Austria, in 2004.

The account also posted an image of the Waleses on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Charles and Camilla during the King’s first Trooping the Colour in June this year.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not present in the balcony photo as they did not attend the ceremony following their step back from working Royal life and their move to California.

Sarah Ferguson has wished King Charles the ‘happiest of birthdays’ in a tweet.

Posting a greyscale image of him in his younger years, she wrote ‘long live the King’.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken time out from his ongoing cabinet reshuffle to join others in wishing King Charles a Happy Birthday this morning.

A tribute to his Majesty has been posted on the Royal Family’s official X account.

The video, set to orchestral music, shows pictures of Charles from every year of his life, before finishing with the mesage ‘Happy Birthday Your Majesty’.

It showcases the monarchs life, starting with his arrival in 1948 with a picture of him in the arms of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

It then charts its way through childhood into his teenage years where the furture King became a much more public figure.

Photos showed His Majesty during his time at university and his time spent serving in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

The montage then reveals how the then Prince of Wales started a family of his own, beginning with the birth of his eldest son, William.

It then shows Charles’s transformation into the elder statesmen we know today, ending with images of his coronation earlier this year and his official birthday portrait.

BT Tower in London has been lit up in tribute to the King this morning.

The iconic communications tower had the words ‘Happy 75th birthday, your Majesty’ emblazened high in the sky.

Earlier this year the tower was lit up to mark the King’s Coronation.

As King Charles celebrates his birthday today, he’s giving his subjects a chance to buy one of his Royal hampers for Christmas…costing £395.

Other goodies on sale at the shop in the grounds of his Highgrove House home include:

• A Christmas pudding for £14.95
• Twelve ‘organic’ mince pies for £10.95
• A Christmas cake for nearly £20
• A bottle of ‘hedgerow liquer’ costing £23.50
• 10 gingerbread biscuits shaped like a king for £4.95
• A bottle of Highgrove Organic Garden Botanical gin that will set you back £39.95.

Ascot Racecourse has given His Majesty a special birthday gift – by renaming one of its races after him.

The venue hosts Royal Ascot every June, an event which is a keen favourite with the Royal Family.

The racecourse says the King’s Stand Stakes, which is a sprint race run on the opening day of the extraveganza, will from now on be called the King Charles III Stakes.

The King has celebrated his birthday by launching a scheme to help people facing food poverty.

His Majesty has set up The Coronation Food Project, alongside Baroness Louise Casey, which aims to cut down on the millions of tonnes of surplus food thrown away while at the same time helping people who are struggling in the cost of living crisis.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Baroness Casey said while it woudn’t solve all the problems, ‘we can have a good go at trying to help some people’ while also helping the environment by reducing food waste.

She added the organisation was taking a leaf from existing charities such as The Felix Project in London that take surplus from supermarkets and manufacturers and put it into food larders and banks.

‘This will turbo charge that [idea],’ Baroness Casey said.

‘At the moment about 30 per cent of all food waste is actually at farms and also in manufacturing, so an awful lot of food waste is not in the supermarkets, it is further up the food chain.

‘This is a very ambitious project. Today we’re bringing together many manufacturers, many from farming as well as supermarkets… we are talking to them [about] how we can reduce that waste.’

The then Prince of Wales negotiating a 2 inch wide wire bridge during a trek in the foothills of Ben Nevis with the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team in 1987.

Charles trying his hand at breakdancing, to the delight of youngsters at a disco at Middleton-on-Sea, during a visit to a Youth Meets Industry course for 300 unemployed people, organised by the Prince’s Trust in 1985.

Charles meeting the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Princes Trust 21st Anniversary in Manchester in 1997.

At the gathering in Highgrove on Monday, the King cut a specially made birthday cake to a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ on the piano.

Video of the moment, complete with ‘mock-horror eye-roll’, was taken by the Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English, who revealed the King ‘genuinely hates a fuss about these things’.

The King’s 75th birthday will be a working day for the monarch, as he keeps busy on his big day. This is what Hi Majesty will be up to and how celebrations the will take place:

• Charles will officially launch the Coronation Food Project with Camilla which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need.
• The head of state and his wife will visit a surplus food distribution centre outside London and meet staff and volunteers to hear about the ways food waste can be used for social good.
• There will be a 62-round gun salute in London at the Tower of London to celebrate his birthday.
• Charles will also host a Buckingham Palace reception highlighting the work of nurses and midwives over the decades as part of the NHS 75 celebrations.
• Among the guests will be around 400 nurses and midwives alongside the Chief Nursing Officer of England, Dame Ruth May, and Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England.
• Charles is also expected to celebrate his special day with family.

Jay Blades has passed his well wishes onto the King this morning, after being invited to His Majesty’s birthday party last night.

The Repair Shop star has developed a keen friendship with Charles after the monarch appeared on a special royal episode of the TV show.

The furniture restorer and television presenter was pictured speaking with His Majesty at the King’s Highgrove Garden home in Gloucestershire on Monday night.

This morning he took to social medai site X (formerly known as Twitter), where he revealed it was a ‘Real Joy & Honour’ to be invited and said that had ‘such a laugh’ catching up with each other.

Princess Elizabeth with her two year old son Prince Charles:

Prince Charles on his fourth birthday, as he leans from a window with his smiling young mother, Queen Elizabeth II

Princess Anne, 10, and Prince Charles, 11, sharing the task of pulling the pram of baby brother Prince Andrew for a walk in the grounds at Balmoral

Prince Charles with his father the Duke of Edinburgh (left) and Captain Iain Tennant, Chairman of the Gordonstoun Board of Governors, arriving at Gordonstoun for the Prince’s first day at the public school in 1962

A commemorative £5 coin celebrating Charles’s love of nature has been issued by the Royal Mint for the King’s birthday.

The silver coin features the traditional imagery, with the headshot of His Majesty on one side, and the King’s heraldic badge on the other.

The badge sits above the number 75, with all of this framed within a pattern of oak leaves and his favourite flowers, delphiniums.

The oak leaves symbolise the Monarch’s strength, morale, resistance and knowledge, while delphiniums, his favourite garden flowers, reflect his love of nature.

The coin also includes an inscription which reads: Restoring Harmony With Nature’.

They were created by Royal Mint designer Dan Thorne, with the coins personally approved by the King himself.

At Dumfries House in Scotland, the home of the King’s Foundation, a gathering of community figures to mark the King’s birthday has been held.

Singer Leee John joined his 96-year-old mother Jessie Stephens, a leading figure in Britain’s Caribbean community, at the Highgrove celebration.

She was one of the Windrush generation chosen to have their portrait painted and exhibited nationally to mark their contribution to British society.

John said at the time of the launch of the paintings, commissioned by Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, the King and Queen ‘said out of all the portraits my mum’s was the best’.

He added: ‘I met him in the 80s when Imagination did a gig at the Royal Albert Hall, back then we did some work for the Prince’s Trust and we were helping the youth in that time, 1985.

‘So he was always very much about the community and very much about the environment.’

At noon, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, named by Charles’s grandfather King George VI, will fire a 41-gun salute from London’s Green Park.

An hour later, the Honourable Artillery Company will fire a 62-gun salute at Tower Wharf, Tower of London – an extra 21 for the City of London.

Charles was bundled off to Hill House School in London before his eighth birthday to begin experiencing the world outside the palace.

The school prides itself on teaching children that they should learn to live with people of different nationalities, races and religions.

In another royal first, Charles earned a degree in history from the University of Cambridge.

He later spent six years in the Royal Navy before leaving to focus on his duties as heir to the throne.

After the seven-decade reign of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has rushed to show that the monarchy remains relevant in modern British society.

He’s made three overseas visits, pledged to open the royal archives to researchers investigating the crown’s links to slavery and expressed ‘sorrow and regret’ for ‘abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence’ committed against Kenyans during their struggle for independence.

Charles’s reign has gotten off to a steady start, but he still needs to set out a clear vision for the future, said Ed Owens, an historian and author of ‘After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?’

‘It’s a difficult moment for the monarchy because it’s going through this period of transition from being adulated as a default position to now being questioned and challenged in new ways,’ Owens said.

‘And I just wish that the king and his heir would set out more clearly what they want to do rather than take for granted what they think the British public want from the monarchy.’

You may think that there is a grand ceremonial reason behind Charles having two birthdays as King.

In fact, the explanation is far more straightforward but equally as British: it is do with the weather.

Because the Sovereign’s birthday is officially celebrated by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, known as the King’s Birthday Parade, it is more practical to celebrate it in the summer months when sunnier weather is more likely.

While King Charles will officially celebrate his 75th birthday on 14 November later this year, he has already had a birthday party this year, when the Trooping the Colour took place on Saturday June 17.

Charles will also host a Buckingham Palace reception highlighting the work of nurses and midwives over the decades as part of the NHS 75 celebrations.

Among the guests will be around 400 nurses and midwives alongside the Chief Nursing Officer of England Dame Ruth May and Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England.

Birthday celebrations began early for the King when he was guest of honour at a party staged in the grounds of his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire yesterday.

Charles joined a host of people, from community stalwarts nominated by friends and family who were also turning 75 this year, to representatives from organisations marking the same milestone, from the NHS to members of the Windrush generation.

Among the famous faces at the event were celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, The Repair Shop host Jay Blades and singer Leee John from the 1980s group Imagination.

King Charles will officially launch the Coronation Food Project with the Queen which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need.

The royal couple will visit a surplus food distribution centre outside London and meet staff and volunteers to hear about the ways in which food waste can be used for social good.

The Sherborne Food Bank has already sent well-wishes to the King today and praised the food waste initiative.

But the Duke of Sussex and his family will not travel to London where his father is holding a small celebratory gathering at Clarence House this evening.

However, it appears there will be an olive branch from Montecito later today, with a phone this afternoon or evening due to the time difference in California.

Good morning and welcome to our live blog. The King will mark his 75th birthday today by busily highlighting causes close to his heart. Follow along for as we provide updates on all the royal festivities.