As His Majesty turns 75, royal fans are wondering if King Charles III has two birthdays like Queen Elizabeth II - and if so, what do these two birthdays mean?
His Majesty turned 75 today (November 14th), marking his second birthday since ascending to the British throne in September 2022. It's understood that he will celebrate the occasion privately with his family at Clarence House, where he continues to reside with his wife, Queen Camilla.
The Royal Family issued an official statement on social media in honour of the milestone, captioning a series of images of the King, "Wishing His Majesty The King a happy 75th birthday."
The King's Official Birthday
Of course, the King has a real birthday - November 14th - that marks the day he was born, but he also has an official birthday.
King Charles III's official birthday took place earlier this summer, as part of a longstanding royal tradition that dates back to the 18th century. Like his mother, King Charles III has two birthdays, with the second one taking place when the weather is warmer in the UK. The royal privilege dates back to 1748 when King George II shifted his official birthday from November to June, in the hope that the warmer season would provide better conditions for outdoor public celebrations.
Queen Elizabeth III famously upheld this tradition, marking her actual birthday on April 21st and her official one with the Trooping the Color parade in June. Queen Elizabeth II typically celebrated her official birthday on the second weekend of June. In 2023, the King continued this tradition and celebrated his official birthday on June 17th. It was announced that in 2024, his official birthday will be celebrated on June 8th.
In celebration of the King's birthday today, it's understood that the Band of the Household Cavalry will play 'Happy Birthday' during the Changing of the Guard ceremony today at Buckingham Palace and gun salutes will be fired across London shortly thereafter, in honour of the special occasion.
The King has also launched a new campaign in celebration of his birthday. A video posted on social media had a caption that read, "The King and Queen will today launch the Coronation Food Project to mark His Majesty’s 75th birthday. The project is a groundbreaking initiative to help reduce food waste and support those living in food insecurity."
The project is environmentally friendly and an important social cause that will mean that less food is wasted and fewer people will be going hungry in the UK. The King donated a 'substantial' six-figure amount to kickstart the project which will aim to serve hundreds of millions of meals across five years, redistributing millions of meals a year that would otherwise go to waste.
