Several over 100-year-olds in Great Britain can look forward to birthday cards from the king himself. The first of King Charles III. and the congratulatory cards sent by the royal consort Camilla have reached their recipients, the palace said on Sunday.
Among those celebrating the birthday is World War II veteran Ruth Park-Pearson, who celebrated her 100th birthday in North Yorkshire on Friday in the presence of many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It has been a tradition for decades for the monarch – or, for the past 70 years, the monarch – to send a card and a personal message to congratulate Britons who are celebrating their 100th, 105th or even older birthday. After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, the practice was temporarily suspended. Now Charles (73) and Camilla (75) wrote their first cards.
Every year, thousands of cards are sent from Buckingham Palace – in addition to birthday children also to couples who have been married for at least 60 years. According to the palace, around 1.3 million cards were sent to various parts of Great Britain and overseas during the Queen’s reign.
