On his birthday, King Charles can look back with satisfaction on his first year on the throne. He successfully mastered the first major challenges of his term in office.
The day before, King Charles had others celebrate his 75th birthday: he invited distinguished citizens, who were also born in 1948, from the area around his residences, Highgrove Gardens and Dumfries House, to a tea dance there. Guests were entertained with a live band and Elvis impersonator.
At Highgrove, the king himself stopped by, chatted with guests, listened to a choir and cut a three-tier birthday cake to the cheers of the other 75-year-olds.
Actually a completely normal working day
His own birthday is actually a normal working day for the king. Salute shots to celebrate the day, then we move on to appointments. Together with his wife Camilla, Charles presented a “food rescue” project near London. The aim of the “Coronation Food Project” is – similar to the German food banks – to support people in need with food that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets.
Royal family expert Robert Lacey, who has written several books about the royal family, also sees Charles’ commitment to such social projects as a bit of self-promotion. Because in opinion polls, it is primarily older people who prove to be the pillars of the royal family. In the 21st century, many people, especially young people, would ask themselves what purpose the monarchy still has.
Charles answers this question by addressing the country’s social problems, says Lacey – with his charity, the “Prince’s Trust”, for example, which he has now transferred to the “King’s Trust”. For example, the facility offers contact points for the homeless and training in social work, thus supplementing areas where the state does not cover everything. These are projects that Charles set up out of conviction, says Lacey.
More political than the Queen
For his birthday, King Charles published an article about his blackboard project in the homeless newspaper “Big Issue”. His new birthday photo by well-known fashion photographer Rankin also appeared exclusively on the front page of this newspaper. A timeless portrait of Charles in black and white.
The recently fired Interior Minister Suella Braverman recently received a lot of opposition when she described homelessness as a “self-chosen lifestyle” and wanted to ban the distribution of tents to the homeless.
The fact that Charles is now taking up this issue prominently also has political significance, says Lacey: “The king does not shy away from making it clear where his attitude differs from that of the government. By countering the hard-hearted tone of the former interior minister, he takes charitable action “This is a development. Because his mother, Queen Elizabeth, has always kept a low profile politically.”
The monarch, as head of state, is of course not entitled to political interference. But so far Charles has mastered the balance between “making a mark” and “restraint” well, Lacey attests to him. For example, when he recently made his first government declaration as king in parliament. Charles had to read Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s speech, which included the announcement of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, which the green-minded king certainly did not like. You couldn’t tell.
Between the state and the royal family
The fact that Charles is the head of state of Great Britain, but by no means always the master of his own actions, became clear last year when the government in London refused to allow him to take part in the world climate conference in Egypt.
The then Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss wanted to lift the ban on fracking. A king who calls for climate protection did not fit into her plan. But Truss is long gone and it is certain that Charles will be back at this year’s COP 28 climate conference in Dubai at the end of November.
However, the first two European state visits to Germany in March and to France in late summer were a complete success. In both countries, Charles spoke to parliaments in the local language, invoked friendship and close ties and tried to repair the relationship that had been damaged by Brexit.
The journey to the former colony of Kenya was a little more difficult. Even before the trip, Charles was confronted with demands for an apology and reparations for the injustices he suffered during the time of the Empire. The tense relationship between the former colonies and Commonwealth countries and the British Crown is likely to be one of the important challenges for Charles in the coming years.
A birthday without Harry
His family has also proven to be a challenge for the 75-year-old father and grandfather. On his birthday last year, the release of the six-part Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and the autobiography of his son Harry, who lives with his family in California, were imminent. Both were riddled with indiscretions and accusations that brought negative headlines to the royal family. According to media reports, Harry was not invited to the family birthday party this year.
Although he has actually long since retired, the workaholic Charles puts in an enormous amount of work every day. He tries to stay physically fit, for example with morning exercises, says royal family expert Robert Lacey: “Charles is very proud that, even at 75 years old, he still fits into the same uniforms as when he was 21.”