King Charles is 75 — and he’s spending his birthday at work!
The monarch and wifeQueen Camilla, 76, launched a new project on Tuesday as the King marked his landmark birthday.
The royal couple visited a distribution center in Didcot, northwest of London, to kick offthe Coronation Food Projectthat “seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom, helping people and helping the planet,” according to the palace.
The outing came as Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a birthday message for Charles on social media.
“Wishing His Majesty The King a very happy 75th birthday!” they captioned the post, which featured a few family photos.
The committed conservationist sees his new project as a way of countering what he calls the “tragedy” of food waste. Last week, Charles penned a piece forThe Big Issuemagazine, which helps homeless people get back on their feet.
Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
“At every stage of the food production process, millions of tonnes of food are sadly discarded,“he wrote, “That, in itself, is a tragedy. But there is a second part to this equation, and that is the extent to which too many families and individuals are missing out on nutritious meals due to the cost of living pressures that have caused hardship for so many right across the country.”
King Charles on his birthday, Nov. 14.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
He added, “Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste – and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one. It is my great hope that thisCoronation Food Projectwill find practical ways to do just that – rescuing more surplus food, and distributing it to those who need it most.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla as they arrived at the event on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
King Charles on his birthday on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Since its launch in 2014, SOFEA has helped over 400 young people gain qualifications, skills and work experience whilst helping to transform their local communities through projects such as community larders and food surplus distribution. The couple meet staff and volunteers who bring in surplus food and redistribute it to 120 community organizations in need across the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire.
The Coronation Food Project will support similar food networks across the United Kingdom to reuse and re-distribute greater amounts of surplus food in this way.
The royals also spoke to drivers of Fairshare food vans that were loaded and ready with goods for distribution, and then they visited the facility’s small kitchen garden.
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The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery carried out a 41 gun salute to mark King Charles' birthday early on Tuesday.Kate Green/Getty Images
Kate Green/Getty Images
Earlier in the day, there were gun salutes to herald the King’s birthday.
source: people.com
