The King is marking his 77th birthday with a royal visit to Wales, alongside some big names in Welsh culture.
It comes after Buckingham Palace celebrated the occasion by releasing a new photo of the King taken at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The portrait, taken by photographer Millie Pilkington, was shared with the caption: “77 today! Thank you for the kind words and well wishes on His Majesty’s Birthday.”
As part of his trip, the monarch joined Gavin And Stacey star Ruth Jones and Love Island personality Liam Reardon for a reception at Cyfarthfa Castle near Merthyr Tydfil.
There he was presented with a birthday cake shaped like the 200-year-old castle, cutting the first slice with help from the Queen, as guests looked on.
Also on hand for the occasion were TikTok content creator Lewis Leigh, fashion designer Julien Macdonald and representatives of the Laura Ashley Foundation.
The Queen also visited nearby Cyfarthfa Primary School, where pupils were taking part in a guided reading programme.
The King takes the controls of a tram-train named Myddfai.
Pic: Reuters
The King then opened the South Wales Metro Depot near Cardiff, taking the driver’s seat for a tram-train journey.
The vehicle is named Myddfai after the small Carmarthenshire village near the monarch’s former Welsh home.
And in one of the stranger moments of the day, the King joined Reardon in the gym.
The TV personality told him: “I’m opening a gym next week, so if you ever fancy a little session, let me know, we’ll have a little session together.”
The King laughed and said: “I try to do my exercise… Twice a day.”
His annus horribilis?
Difficult and high-profile personal events have marked the King’s early years as monarch.
He was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and is still receiving regular treatment, believed to be a weekly session.
Then there’s been the scandal over his brother.
Read more:
King heckled over Andrew
Analysis: Prince William’s silence over Andrew
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, was stripped of his titles over links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But there have also been history-making public events.
King and Pope walk side by side after prayer
He became the first British monarch to pray alongside the Pope in a public service since the Reformation.
The moment between the King and Pope Leo XIV was seen as a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Catholics.
The King also hosted US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle for a record-setting second state visit in September.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.sky.com ’
