Carlos III has celebrated 75 years with a return to activism, with the launch of the Coronation Food Project (aimed at recovering food discarded by supermarkets), his cover article in “Big Issue”, the magazine of the “homeless “, and his upcoming trip to Dubai to speak on climate change at COP28.
In his discreet way, the monarch has returned to his powers without compromising the neutrality of the Crown, with the endless political crisis as a backdrop and competing in headlines with the return of David Cameron. While the “premier” Rishi Sunak was finalizing his new government, King Charles cut the three-tier cake that he prepared at his Highgrove residence, where they sang Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah”, one of his favorite songs.
Charles III, the oldest king at the time of his accession to the throne, is already the fifth oldest monarch in the history of British kings and queens, behind his mother Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, George III and George II (and not counting Edward VIII, who abdicated after eleven months and died at age 77).
After the early 75th birthday party, attended by dozens of Gloucestershire residents and celebrities such as chef Raymond Blanc and television presenter Jay Blades, the monarch traveled to London on Tuesday to celebrate a family dinner at Clarence House, with stellar presence of the Princes of Wales and the notable absence of Harry, with whom the monarch had a private conversation by phone.
Before, at Buckingham Palace, Charles and Camilla participated in a reception with 400 nurses from the National Health Service (NHS), in a tribute for their services before, during and after Covid and in full conflict with the Government over the increases. salaries. The monarch's anniversary was marked with several gunshots from the Tower of London, but without excessive fanfare.
Carlos III himself wanted to give a “social” and environmental tone to the date with the launch of his new project and his message in The Big Issue.. “To mark my 75th birthday in Coronation year, I couldn't ask for a greater gift than the Coronation Food Project, to create a legacy that can help people and help the planet.”
“The need for food is as real as food waste,” stressed the monarch, who anticipated the creation of a network of regional “hubs” for the redistribution of products throughout the country.. It is estimated that a third of food ends up wasted in the United Kingdom, while 14 million Britons live on the line of “food insecurity” in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
The other great birthday gift has been Rishi Sunak's approval for his participation in the COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. The presence of Charles III will serve in some way to compensate for the “reversal” in the British Government's climate action in recent months.. A little over a year ago, the monarch renounced his participation in the COP27 in Egypt at the express request of Liz Truss, the “premier” of the 45 days.
A week after his debut in the first King's Speech, Charles III has witnessed the umpteenth crisis of the Government since Brexit, this time with the return as Foreign Secretary of David Cameron, with whom his mother did not exactly have chemistry. special. Despite his reputation as a “meddling prince,” the monarch has made a special effort to preserve Elizabeth II's neutrality in domestic matters and to reserve his most political interventions for his outings abroad, such as his recent “lament” over the abuses of the colonialism on his trip to Kenya or his Europeanist speeches in Germany and France.
With a popularity of 52% in the latest YouGov poll, the monarch flies above the entire political class. At this point, 60% of Britons have a “positive” view of the monarchy, although the figure drops significantly to 37% among young people.. Support for the republic meanwhile continues to hover around 25%, very similar to what it was during the reign of Elizabeth II.