Lauren Said Moorhouse, CNN
LONDON (CNN) – King Charles III opened two food distribution hubs on Thursday as part of the Coronation Food Project, which he launched a year ago in hopes of closing the gap between food poverty and food waste. Celebrating his 76th birthday.
Charles will visit one of the new sites in south London, where a ‘surplus food festival’ is being held where meals are made from food that would have been thrown away. He will open a second Coronation Food Hub in Merseyside, north-west England, in a virtual ceremony.
During his visit, the King will tour the new facility with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and will then meet with beneficiaries and representatives from food banks, schools and community groups.
In addition to investing in the network of hubs, the Coronation Food Project is also funding transportation and drivers to add warehouse capacity, increase refrigeration facilities, and strengthen distribution capacity. To date, £15 million (approximately $19 million) has been raised to design, build and operate a network of up to 10 hubs across the UK.
Since its inception, the food project has worked with local charities FairShare and The Felix Project to save 940 tonnes of surplus food, the equivalent of 2.2 million meals. It also donated £715,000 (approximately $1 million) in community food grants to 33 organizations in the UK.
Buckingham Palace also released a new photo of the King to commemorate the big day.
In the snap, shared on the royal family’s official X account, the monarch smiles for the camera wearing a sharp blue suit, white shirt, blue patterned tie and pocket square. The caption next to the post reads, “Happy Birthday to His Majesty the King today.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales also sent their best wishes in a post on social media, saying: “We wish His Majesty the King a very happy birthday!” The message was accompanied by a photo of Prince Charles taken during his first visit to Samoa as British Prime Minister.
Traditional military birthday celebrations include a salute by the Royal Horse Artillery at Green Park and the Honorary Artillery Company at the Tower of London. Meanwhile, the bells at Westminster Abbey will be rung from 1pm (8am Eastern time).
King Charles treats his actual birthday in November like a normal working day, but the bonus of being a monarch means he actually gets two days.
The tradition is thought to have started in 1748 with the party-obsessed King George II. Like Charles, he was born in November, when the British weather is often far from ideal.
The King’s “official” birthday is held during the warm summer months, and the military spectacle “Trooping the Color” sees 1,400 officers and soldiers march through the streets of London from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade. Meanwhile, crowds line the roadside.
Trooping the Color previously existed as an independent event, but after George III became King in 1760, it was officially and permanently repurposed as a birthday celebration.
CNN Wire
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