Prince Charles celebrated his 72nd birthday Saturday following an eventful year that saw him contract the coronavirus and his son Prince Harry step down from his duties as a senior member of the British royal family.
Gun salutes would normally be fired from London’s Green Park and the Tower of London for the heir to the throne’s birthday, but officials said the traditional ceremonies would not take place this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and his wife, Kate, were among those wishing him a happy birthday on social media. The royal family’s official Twitter account posted a photo of Charles as a baby sitting on Queen Elizabeth II’s knee, while the account of Charles and his wife Camilla, shared a photo of the prince dressed in a kilt and smiling to the camera.
Charles tested positive for the coronavirus in March. He and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, self-isolated away from one another at their residence in Scotland.
Prince Charles celebrated his 72nd birthday on Saturday in the United Kingdom after quite a turbulent year. The British royal contracted the novel coronavirus back in March.
(Getty)
Charles later told Sky News he was lucky to have “got away with it quite lightly.”
Last week, the royal laid a wreath at the Cenotaph war memorial on behalf of his mother to honor the country’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday.
But like the rest of the royal family, Charles has had to adapt his many official engagements by moving them online during the pandemic.
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Charles’ son Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, also made 2020 a seemingly unforgettable year after they announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family.
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Prince William also contracted the virus days after his father, but reportedly didn’t speak out about the illness to avoid alarming the public.
The year also saw Charles’ son Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, step back as senior members of the royal family. They have since moved to North America, first relocating from the United Kingdom to Vancouver, Canada,before ultimately settling down in Santa Barbara, Calif., with their son Archie.
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Charles, known as the Prince of Wales, is the queen’s eldest son. He became heir apparent at age 3, when his mother was crowned in 1952.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
