King Charles celebrated his last night as a 75-year-old by attending the Gladiator II premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday. He looked to be in good spirits, warmly shaking the hands of cast members Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. Perhaps there was a sense of relief at the year being over: it is unlikely he will look back on it with great fondness.
The King’s three-quarter century, and his second year as monarch has been marked by family tragedies, a series of health scares and royal relationship rifts. His son Prince William has described the year as “brutal”, and it may go down in the history books as something of an annus horribilis.
