Prince Charles of England celebrates his 72nd birthday

LONDON – British Prince Charles celebrated his 72nd birthday on Saturday after an eventful year that saw him contract the coronavirus and his son, Prince Harry, step down from official royal duties.

Normally gun salutes would have been fired from London’s Green Park and the Tower of London on the birthday of the heir to the throne, but officials said traditional ceremonies will not be held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Charles’s eldest son, Prince William, and his wife, Kate, were among those who wished him a happy birthday on social media. The royal family’s official Twitter account posted a photo of Charles as a child sitting on Queen Elizabeth II’s lap, while the account of Charles and his wife, Camilla, shared a photo of the prince dressed in a kilt and smiling at the camera. .

Charles tested positive for coronavirus in March and self-isolated for a week in Scotland with mild symptoms of COVID-19. He later told Sky News that he was lucky to have “gotten away with it fairly lightly”.

Last week, the royal placed a wreath at the Cenotaph war memorial in his mother’s name to honor the country’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday.

But like the rest of the royal family, Charles had to adapt his many official commitments by moving them online during the pandemic.

The year also saw Charles’ son Harry and his wife, the ex Meghan Markle, move overseas after leaving royal duties. The couple, who said they wanted to seek financial independence, settled in California with their son Archie.

Charles, known as the Prince of Wales, is the Queen’s eldest son. He became an heir at the age of 3, when his mother was crowned monarch in 1952.