King Charles III will launch a new scheme to tackle food poverty on his 75th birthday on Tuesday.
The birthday celebrations will be marked by gun salutes in London and his son Prince Harry is expected to call to wish him on the occasion.
The emphasis during the birthday engagements is on public service rather than extravagant celebrations, with the King launching the Coronation Food Project that aims to bridge the gap between food waste and need.
However, it is anticipated to conclude with a private dinner for close family members and friends, but without Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to make a phone call to wish him on the day, BBC reported, citing well-placed sources, following reports that the couple was not invited to the birthday celebrations.
The duke’s representatives earlier told The Independent that “there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday”, rejecting reports that they snubbed an invite from the palace.
Charles earlier appeared on the front cover of The Big Issue to mark the launch of the new campaign.
“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,” he told The Big Issue.
King Charles turns 75 on 14 November
(PA)
“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.”
The royal couple will visit a surplus food distribution centre outside London and meet staff and volunteers to hear about the ways in which food waste can be used for social good.
He will also host a reception at Buckingham Palace for the nurses and midwives as part of the NHS 75 celebrations.
Among the long list of guests will be around 400 nurses and midwives, including the chief nursing officer of England Dame Ruth May and Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England.
At noon, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, named by Charles’s grandfather King George VI, will give a 41-gun salute from London’s Green Park.
It will be followed by a 62-gun salute at Tower Wharf, Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
The King’s birthday festivities commenced ahead of schedule as he served as the guest of honour at a party hosted on the grounds of his Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire on Monday.
Charles joined a diverse gathering, including community stalwarts nominated by friends and family celebrating their 75th birthdays, as well as representatives from organisations that share the same milestone, such as the NHS and members of the Windrush generation.