King Charles Steps Out on His 75th Birthday to Launch New Project Alongside Queen Camilla

The King was joined by Queen Camilla as he launched a new project on his 75th birthday

King Charles is 75 — and he's spending his birthday at work!

The monarch and wife Queen 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 off the Coronation Food Project that "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 for The Big Issue magazine, which helps homeless people get back on their feet.

"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."

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 this Coronation Food Project will find practical ways to do just that – rescuing more surplus food, and distributing it to those who need it most."

With 14 million people in the U.K. living with food insecurity, the issue is an urgent one. In December 2022, Charles helped kick off a $1.3 million fund with a personal donation by. Using the fund, more than 800 commercial fridges and freezers have been distributed to key locations across the United Kingdom — thus aiding the capacity to store and redistribution surplus food before it goes off.

Upon their arrival, Charles and Camilla and Dame Martina Milburn and Baroness Louise Casey, were welcomed by Richard and Ruth Kennell — who founded and run the South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance (SOFEA).

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.

Related: King Charles Covers Magazine Ahead of 75th Birthday — and Photographer Has Close Tie to Queen Elizabeth

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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Earlier in the day, there were gun salutes to herald the King's birthday.

The birthday festivities kicked off on Monday for Charles. He enjoyed some cake and singing at a birthday party organized by some of his charities at Highgrove Gardens.

He was joined there by fellow members of his generation turning 75 as part of celebratory events at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, England, and Dumfries House in Cumnock, Scotland. The festivities also mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush to London and of the National Health Service (NHS).

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