Carlos III celebrates his first birthday as monarch: the echo king, great talker and eternal lover of Camilla

The king Charles III celebrates his 74th birthday this Monday, November 14, his first anniversary as monarch two months after the death of Isabel II. In the United Kingdom, sovereigns maintain the long tradition of celebrating their anniversary twice if it happens that their date of birth falls in winter. In the case of Carlos III, everything points to the fact that he will remain faithful to that tradition because his birthday is in November. Elizabeth II blew out her candles on April 21 at a private family gathering; and the first weekend of June he presided over the great Trooping The Colour, his official and public birthday. This is the festive agenda of the new head of state.

This November 14 arrives to the father of Guillermo and Harry after presiding over Remembrance Day on Sunday the 13th. It was the first ceremony of the Remembrance Day that he directs as king and the second for him, since in 2021 his mother could not attend due to health problems and it had to be him, as heir, who starred in the ceremonial offering of poppies at the London Cenotaph.

Remembrance Sunday tears and broken eggs

In the offering of this Remembrance Sunday, in honor of those who fell in the Second World War, it was heard God save the King. A very iconic moment that moved him to tears.

A few days ago Carlos was the subject of protests and ridicule in York, where they threw some eggs. It happened on November 9, when he was about to unveil a statue in memory of Elizabeth II. While he was greeting the neighbors, they threw eggs at him in protest and scratched his head. Carlos, unalterable, looked at the broken eggs on the road and, without making a face, continued on his way as if nothing had happened..

For these episodes and for all the others, he always has the maximum support and loyalty of Camillathe queen consort, his traveling companion and the love of his life for 52 years.

His “beloved mother”, his inspiration

Two months have passed since the death of the remembered monarch. These weeks of her reign began with her historic first address to the nation from her Buckingham office. Carlos III wore a black suit and tie as a sign of mourning. They were his first official words as king and, from his sadness, he paid tribute to his mother: “My beloved mother was an inspiration and an example for me and my whole family, and we owe him the sincerest debt a family can owe. She fearlessly embraced the progress of her nation. Respect and sense of duty marked his reign“. Carlos chose words like “good humor” and his mother’s “ability” to always see “the best in people”. The new King thus picked up the witness of the sovereign, after 70 years of service to the country. Now It is Carlos’ turn to set a new official agenda.

Your birthday calendar

The events planned for this November 14 will begin at 11:00 in the morning local time. The Buckingham cavalry band will sing the happy birthday for Carlos. Afterwards, what is known as the salute of the 41 ordinance salvos will take place, some cannon shots carried out by the King’s Troops, the Royal Horse Artillery. An hour later, from the Tower of London, the Artillery Company will launch 62 guns in his honor.

Those who have had the opportunity to meet him praise Carlos III for being “a great conversationalist” with a prodigious memory. Someone like him, whose job consists largely of talking to people he doesn’t know, says a lot in his favor that he remembers the conversations he has with each person. It doesn’t matter what each one does, “or where you come from or how old you are, he always finds a common space to talk and make you feel that it’s worth being there,” actor Luke Adams said in Country Life. Skills that the actress Miriam Margolyes has corroborated, who also adds the King’s gift for acting and her great sense of humor. Ben Kingsley has noted about him “his empathy without his ego, a rare combination”.

Visionary and pioneer in his commitment to the environment, the monarch has been one of the first personalities in the world to have a solid discourse in favor of sustainability and against deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats. He is an environmental king. We will see him at his Coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, where he will wear the imperial crown.