King Charles turns 76: elderly monarch, shaky kingdom

They touched him. The velvety voices of the more than a hundred singers from 41 choirs which the English monarch received this year Birthday serenade brought. The Military wives had rewritten a British lullaby and told the story of that Sunday in November when, on the 14th day of the month, in a “cold, foggy London,” the future king saw the light of day.

He was “deeply touched“, King Charles wrote in a letter to the military women, of the “wonderfully thoughtful appreciation”. And yet he couldn’t help but say that he would have liked to forget his birthday this year.

Because for “those of us who have reached a certain age,” “the need for such birthday celebrations is inversely proportional to advancing age.”

A year of horror

But it was also a difficult year for the British monarch. He had his in February Cancer diagnosis made public. Just a few weeks later, his daughter-in-law and future queen, Princess Catherinethe same fate.

But while Kate took time off for the duration of her cancer treatment, she returned King Charles already after a few weeks to his agendas backthrew himself into work. Last week, when a chest infection forced Queen Camilla into bed rest, Charles had to miss the annual celebrations Remembrance Day (commemorating the fallen British soldiers) without “his support”.

Also on his birthday King Charles will not rest. He will Open two food distribution centers (one in person, one online). The centers are a further development of his „Coronation Food Project“which he opened for his 75th birthday last year and with which he has already 1,000 tons of food – or the equivalent of 2.24 million meals – saved could be.

Interjections in Parliament

But not everyone currently shares the image of the caring king. As King Charles in the course of his Australia trip visited Parliament in Canberra in October, the independent confronted him Senator Lidia Thorpe: “You are not our king!” she shouted before she was led out of the hall. “Give us back our country; our bones, our skulls, our children, our people.”

Charles did not address the incident on site; he was deep in conversation with Queen Camilla and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. But activists and media took up the issue, Calls for an Australian republic grew louder.

It’s not the only place where things are simmering. After the death of Queen Elizabeth two years ago, the Prime Minister of the Caribbean stated Antigua and Barbudawithin three years Referendum wanting to stop. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of the Neighbor Islands St. Kitts and Nevissaid last year that his country would be under Charlesnever completely free be”. And Jamaica actually wants to 2025 Abolish King Charles as head of state.

Slimmed-down monarchy

But King Charles has long been aware that the monarchy cannot continue as it did under his mother. He originally wanted to keep the coronation celebrations smaller (but according to estimates they ended up costing up to 100 million euros) and slimmed down die Monarchy. He reduced the number of senior royals and reduced the number of official appointments. While there were around 4,000 performances a decade ago, in 2023 there were only 2,730.

And as Barbados In 2021, 54 years after it received independence, now too Deposed Queen as head of stateCharles even attended the ceremony; arrived as a future king and left as a visiting dignitary.

Those too Australian King Charles now announced: The decision, to become a republic, lies with them.

As Charles’ years progress, the… Days of the British Monarchy as we know them, counted.