Why Charles STILL is in ‘great pain’ about Harry: King hosts a small party for close friends – not family – to celebrate his 75th birthday, marking the occasion with a striking portrait

When the Queen was 75, Rankin – the photographer who has photographed everyone from Tony Blair to Madonna – took her Golden Jubilee portrait.

And perhaps it will become something of a family tradition, after King Charles called Rankin to Clarence House last month as he prepared to turn 75 himself.

Here the king’s birthday portrait can be revealed: a black and white close-up showing him with a twinkle in his eye.

It will appear on the cover of the Big Issue magazine on Monday, to mark the anniversary launch of a cause close to his heart: the Coronation Food Project, which aims to provide support during the crisis of the cost of livelihoods by redistributing food destined for landfills. .

When the king looks directly into the camera, he appears focused and determined, with a confident smile and plenty of wrinkles – as befits someone who has ascended the throne well past retirement age.

Friends say Charles is “invigorated” by the challenge of becoming monarch and will not worry much about reaching his latest milestone on Tuesday.

The King is determined to use his time on the throne productively, and just yesterday it was announced that Charles would become the first-ever patron of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with the Duke of Kent also handing the presidency to Charles’ loyal right-hand man. wife, his sister Princess Anne.

After the launch of the Coronation Food Project for his birthday, it will be business as usual. A creature of habit, the king rises at 7 a.m. and begins each day with the same Royal Canadian Air Force exercises that kept his late father fighting fit well into his 80s.

The regimen is known as 5BX, which stands for Five Basic Exercises, an 11-minute workout consisting of toe touches, sit-ups, back extensions, push-ups and running on the spot.

Apart from a nagging back pain that has plagued him for years, the king is said to be in “very good condition” – a must, as he regularly works twelve to fourteen hours a day.

The king then sits down for a breakfast of eggs, toast and honey. He doesn’t stop for lunch if he can help it, preferring a cup of tea, a sandwich and something sweet – preferably one of his favorite Welsh cakes – at exactly 5pm.

Dinner is just as simple, like an omelette or a baked potato, before he returns to his paperwork late into the night.

“He is surprisingly frugal and personally lives a fairly simple life,” says an insider. ‘He doesn’t drink much and never eats too much. And he remains happy that even in his 70s, he can still fit into all his old uniforms.”

Charles loves music and his Catholic tastes include everything from Wagner to Leonard Cohen, The Three Degrees and even a bit of Bob Marley.

However, his real passion is being outside in the fresh air: walking, gardening or working on his farm, digging and laying hedges.

By his side on many of his assignments is Queen Camilla, with whom he mutually understands the need for their own space. The couple now operate more as a team than ever, but the pair still have separate homes, friends and interests, in what friends see as a “sensible and pragmatic” approach to the stresses of royal life. Returning from tours abroad, where they have often lived and worked 24/7, it is not uncommon to see ‘his and hers’ cars lined up on the runway to take them to their respective hideouts for a well-deserved break.

Camilla will enjoy a few days with her family and friends, and Charles will do crafts in his beloved gardens or on the farm. And at Windsor Castle or Birkhall, their Scottish estate, it is not unusual for them to sit and read comfortably – in separate wings.

“It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that time apart really works for them,” says an insider. “They’re better for it.” And as Charles thinks about his own legacy, what about his son and heir?

There will undoubtedly have been a wry smile on the King’s face this week when Prince William told reporters in Singapore that he wanted to “go a step further” than other royals by creating real change, rather than simply good goals to ‘bring attention to’.

“But don’t all children tell their parents how they could do so much better than before!” laughs a friend.

William, like Harry, was previously hostile to what he perceived as his father’s media ‘spin machine’, with his youthful shouting matches with the king reaching even the thick palace walls.

Now that he is a father himself, William has much more understanding for his ‘Dad’. And the benefit of Charles being in Windsor more often, especially at weekends, is that he has been able to spend more time with his grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“Has His Majesty made any mistakes when it comes to parenting? Yes. Would he personally admit that he could have done some things better, or at least differently? Of course,” said a source.

‘But while I am sure they still do not always agree on everything, he and the Prince of Wales are now firmly united around a common shared interest, which is to keep the institution where it can serve the nation.

‘In any case, this happened as the late Queen grew older, but there is no doubt that what happened to Harry threw everything into sharp relief.’

The latter is a subject that continues to cause His Majesty ‘great pain’. I’m told there is “barely any level of communication” between Charles and Harry at the moment.

There is undeniable anger at the pain that King claims Harry caused the late Queen in the last years of her life, not to mention the insults he leveled at his own wife Camilla, whom Charles understandably protects .

Charles is a man who notoriously hates confrontation and will never close the door on his youngest son. But he is sticking to his guns and has rejected Harry’s demands for an ‘apology’ and put the whole issue aside for the time being as he focuses on the business of the state.

Much has been made this week about whether his youngest son has been formally invited to his private birthday party next Tuesday. In fact, he didn’t. But I can tell you that at least the event is just a small, intimate dinner in London for close friends.

There will be hardly any family members present, in line with the king’s diktat that he wants it to be an ordinary day. ‘There is a lot of pain on both sides, but time heals. For now it is small steps forward,” said one informed observer. “It is very sad that His Majesty cannot see his son and his grandchildren, but there is no rush to resolve matters.” For now, His Majesty has just enough time on Tuesday to raise a glass of English sparkling wine (organic, no doubt), before those red boxes beckon him again.