What Does a Freezer Have to Do with King Charles’ 76th Birthday? Here’s the Unique Way He Will Spend His Big Day

Mar. 15, 2025

King Charles smiles at Admiralty House on the second day of a Royal Visit to Australia on Oct. 20, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.Photo:Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

King Charlesturns 76 years old on Nov. 14 — and will mark his first birthday since beingdiagnosed with cancerearlier this year.

To celebrate turning 76, the King, who has long been known as a workaholic, will spend his big day at work (naturally), opening the first two Coronation Food Hubs, one in person and one virtually, the palace confirms.

Thursday, Nov. 14 also marks the first anniversary of Charles’Coronation Food Project, which seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across the U.K. The food hubs are major distribution centers designed to save and circulate tons of surplus food.

King Charles and Queen Camilla pose for a photograph with staff during the launch of the Coronation Food Project and the visit to the South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance, a surplus food distribution centre, on Nov. 14, 2023 in Didcot, England.Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The inaugural two Coronation Food Hubs are the first in a network of hubs, the palace said. The Coronation Food Project has already saved an additional 940 tons of surplus food, equivalent to roughly 2.24 million meal portions, as it reports approximately 14 million people in the U.K. are experiencing food insecurity.

King Charles and Queen Camilla speak with members of staff during the launch of “The Coronation Food Project”, to mark his majesty’s 75th birthday, as part of a visit to The South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance, part of the FareShare network, in Didcot, western England on Nov. 14, 2023.IAN VOGLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

IAN VOGLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In a piece forThe Daily Mail, Charles’ stepson Tom Parker Bowles declared that his stepfather was a “true food hero” who “practices what he preaches,” especially when it comes to food sustainability.

“There is no waste at [King Charles’] table,” Tom said.

Year 75 has no doubt been a challenging one for the King, who, following an inpatient procedure for a benign enlarged prostate in January, was diagnosed with cancer, which the palace announced Feb. 5. The King began treatment for cancer that same day, and that treatment continues.

He was largely away from public-facing duties until April 30, during which time his daughter-in-lawKate Middletonalso announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer following an inpatient procedure in January. Though the types and stages of both the King and the Princess of Wales’ respective cancers have never been revealed, the palace did clarify that the King did not have prostate cancer.

“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,”Prince Williamsaid in an emotionally-charged Nov. 7 interview. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”

The latter half of 2024 has been more on the upswing than the former, with Kate, 42, announcing she hadcompleted chemoon Sept. 9. The next month, Charles andQueen Camillaembarked on a royal tour of both Australia and Samoa, their first royal tour since the King announced his cancer diagnosis and the first tour of this size and scale since Charles’ reign began in September 2022.

Queen Camilla (R) talks with Percival Everett during a reception for The Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House on Nov. 12, 2024 in London, England.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

The day after his birthday, on Friday, Nov. 15, the King, as Captain General Royal Marines, will visit the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone in Devon to meet Royal Marine trainees and instructors, as well as families and veterans of the Corps. Charles will present the King’s Badge and a Green Beret to the best all-around member of the King’s Squad as they complete Commando Training, and Charles will have a flashback to his days as a helicopter pilot, as he’ll get the chance to revisit some of the facilities where he trained to take on the job.

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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5, 2022 in London, England.Chris Jackson/Getty

For his 70th birthday in 2018, another party was thrown at Buckingham Palace, and Queen Elizabeth said at the occasion, “It is a privilege for any mother to be able to propose a toast to her son on his 70th birthday. It means that you have lived long enough to see your child grow up. It is rather like, to use an analogy I am certain will find favor, planting a tree and being able to watch it grow.”

source: people.com