London, Nov 14 (PTI) Britain's King Charles III marked his 76th birthday on Thursday by championing a food poverty project close to his heart, opening a new hub in south-east London to distribute surplus produce to people in need.

Choosing to spend his birthday as any other working day, the royal paid a visit to Deptford to showcase the first anniversary of the Coronation Food Project which aims to make better use of food that would otherwise be thrown away.

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It was unveiled by the monarch last year to mark his coronation and the project has rescued around 940 tonnes of surplus food, estimated as enough to make 2.24 million meals.

"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,” said Charles of the project, which falls under the umbrella of his King Charles III Charitable Fun (KCCF).

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Charities such as the Felix Project and FareShare can collect food from hubs like the new one in Deptford and take it to help individuals and community groups. A second hub in Merseyside, north-west England, was also inaugurated on the King's birthday in a virtual ceremony.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace released a new birthday photograph of the monarch showing Charles wearing a blue suit, white shirt and patterned tie, with one hand in his pocket as he rests the other on a chair.

"Wishing His Majesty The King a very Happy Birthday today," the palace said in its official social media message with the image.

He was also wished a happy birthday by his son and daughter-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate, who posted a message on their social media with a photograph of the King on a recent tour of Australia and Samoa.

As is customary, gun salutes were fired in the UK capital – in Green Park and at the Tower of London – as part of the military's traditional celebrations and bells tolled at Westminster Abbey, where Charles was crowned King in May last year. His wife, Camilla, continues to cut back on her royal duties as she recovers fully from a chest infection and did not join Charles on some of his engagements this week.

The royal birthday comes towards the end of a tough year for the royals after news of the King's and then Kate's cancer diagnosis emerged in early 2024. Both have since returned to frontline royal duties after a break to undergo treatment.

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