King Charles is celebrating his 77th birthday with a visit to Wales, where he will meet leading figures from the nation's arts, heritage, and cultural sectors.
On Friday, the King and Queen Camilla will visit South Wales, with a reception at Cyfarthfa Castle near Merthyr Tydfil marking the occasion.
Guests include Gavin and Stacey actor Ruth Jones, TikTok creator Lewis Leigh, fashion designer Julien Macdonald, and representatives from the Laura Ashley Foundation, alongside delegates from royal patronages and local businesses.
The historic Cyfarthfa Castle, residence of ironmaster William Crawshay II, is also commemorating its 200th anniversary.
Elsewhere, gun salutes will be fired in Green Park by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company as part of the military’s traditional celebrations on the sovereign’s birthday, and bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey where the King was crowned in 2023.
Charles, like his late mother Elizabeth II, has two birthdays, his actual one on 14 November, and his official one, which falls on the second Saturday in June.
Following the death of Elizabeth on 8 September 2022, Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, ascended the throne and became the King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
This milestone birthday follows a year of significant personal and public events for the monarch. Early last year, King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, for which he continues a regular, believed to be weekly, treatment programme.
The past year also saw the scandal surrounding his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. His links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein led to the King stripping him of his titles, effectively ending his public life.
Charles also made a historic visit to the Vatican, becoming the first monarch since the Reformation to pray publicly alongside Pope Leo XIV – a symbolic step towards unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Additionally, he hosted US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, for a second state visit in September.
The monarch’s birthday also comes during the same week he graced the cover of Country Life magazine, celebrating the extensive restoration of his Sandringham gardens.
Charles is pictured in a relaxed pose, leaning on a shepherd’s crook, dressed casually in a pale open-necked shirt, beige trousers, and brown suede shoes, without a jacket.
The portrait, taken in a formal section of the Norfolk estate’s gardens, was captured by photographer Millie Pilkington, who was personally selected by Charles for the occasion.
