A year of celebrating Prince Charles’ 70th birthday culminated with the grand finale: an extravagant affair at Buckingham Palace!
The Prince of Wales, also known as Prince Charles, next in line to the British throne, turned 70 this week; and as expected, the royal family celebrated in style. First, the documentary Prince, Son, and Heir: Charles at 70, which aired on the BBC. Then, Clarence House released a series of stunning portraits to the public. Two that showed Charles with his sons and grandchildren.
The attendees included:
Of course, the immediate family was present. Pictured below, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge departing Kensington Palace to attend Prince Charles’ 70th birthday
Princess Eugenie arriving at Prince Charles’ 70th birthday
Other attendees included Queen Rania of Jordan, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Sophia of Spain, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Harald, and Queen Sonjia of Norway.
A picture of Prince Charles and Camilla was released after the party celebrating Prince Charles’ 70th birthday
Also among the guests: Thomas van Straubenzee’s brother, Charlie van Straubenzee, who is close to Prince Harry; William and Kate’s pal Hugh van Cutsem, and his wife, Rose; young royals Freddie Windsor and his wife Sophie Winkleman (their daughter, Maud, is at school with Prince George); and Gabriella Windsor and her fiancé, Tom Kingston. Royal cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike were there too.
The Queen’s speech
During the celebration, The Queen delivered a touching speech to her son saying. She said: “It is a privilege for any mother to be able to propose a toast to her son on his 70th birthday. It means that you have lived long enough to see your child grow up. It is rather like —to use an analogy I am certain will find favor — planting a tree and being able to watch it grow.”
She continued: “My mother saw me turn 70, of course. And she was heard to observe that 70 is exactly the age when the number of candles on your cake finally exceeds the amount of breath you have to blow them out. Over his 70 years, Philip and I have seen Charles become a champion of conservation and the arts, a great charitable leader — a dedicated and respected heir to the throne to stand comparison with any in history — and a wonderful father. Most of all, sustained by his wife Camilla, he is his own man, passionate and creative. So, this toast is to wish a happy birthday to my son, in every respect a duchy original. To you Charles. To the Prince of Wales.”
Earlier today, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute from Green Park to mark the birthday.
Meghan looked sensational as she arrived at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles’ 70th birthday party alongside Harry. The only thing we got a glimpse of was her dazzling diamond chandelier earring that she recently wore in Fiji.
Happy Birthday Prince Charles!
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Meghan and Harry attend a commemorative dinner for African Parks
On another note, Omid Scobie revealed earlier today that Meghan and Harry attended a commemorative dinner for African Parks yesterday. African Parks is a conservation NGO of which Harry is president. The dinner took place at Kensington Palace.
The event was private, which is why photos were not officially released by the palace. However, a guest shared a couple of photos on Instagram
Prince Harry has worked with the organization since 2016. Back then, he helped them complete their historic 500 Elephant translocation in Malawi. Harry is also assisting the organization to grow to 30 parks under management by 2030 now.
More from the website:
“African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. We currently manage 19 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.7 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The organisation was founded in 2000 in response to the dramatic decline of protected areas due to poor management and lack of funding. African Parks utilises a clear business approach to conserving Africa’s wildlife and remaining wild areas, securing vast landscapes and carrying out the necessary activities needed to protect the parks and their wildlife. African Parks maintains a strong focus on economic development and poverty alleviation of surrounding communities to ensure that each park is ecologically, socially, and financially sustainable in the long-term.”
Meghan and Harry during the dinner
Meghan wore a simple black dress with a boat neck and accessorized with her gold leaf earrings by Pippa Small, which she first wore on her royal tour in Fiji.
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