A Duchy Original...the Queen’s witty and touching tribute to Prince Charles at 70
THE Queen paid a glowing tribute to her son and heir Prince Charles last night as he celebrated his 70th birthday at a glittering black tie dinner in Buckingham Palace.
In a warm and witty toast to some 200 guests in the ballroom, the 92-year-old monarch hailed the Prince of Wales as a “Duchy Original”, in a reference to the organic food company he created in 1990.
She also joked about his fondness for planting trees and praised Charles’s second wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, for supporting him.
Earlier in the day Charles had been saluted by artillery guns, accepted a fun balloon and hosted a reception for 70 people who also turn 70 this year.
His dinner in the evening was attended by an array of family, friends and European royalty.
The Queen told guests: “It is a privilege for any mother to be able to propose a toast to her son on his 70th birthday. It means that you have lived long enough to see your child grow up. It is rather like – to use an analogy I am certain will find favour – planting a tree and being able to watch it grow.
“My mother saw me turn 70, of course. And she was heard to observe that 70 is exactly the age when the number of candles on your cake finally exceeds the amount of breath you have to blow them out.” The Queen, who was joined by royalty from Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, described her pride in her son’s life and work.
She said: “Philip and I have seen Charles become a champion of conservation and the arts, a great charitable leader, a dedicated and respected heir to the throne to stand comparison with any in history and a wonderful father.
“Most of all, sustained by his wife Camilla, he is his own man, passionate and creative.
“So this toast is to wish a happy birthday to my son, in every respect a Duchy Original. To you Charles. To the Prince of Wales.”
The day of celebrations had been kicked off by BBC Radio 4 playing the National Anthem at 7am.
Gun salutes were fired at different locations including Cardiff Castle, the Tower of London and the capital’s Green Park.
Prince Charles – painted as a workaholic by his family – had a packed programme of meetings before his late afternoon engagement with other septuagenarians.
He and Camilla travelled the few hundred yards from Clarence House to Spencer House, the London home of Princess Diana’s family which is now leased to a company.
On his way in he stopped to speak to royal press reporters, who gave him a 70th birthday balloon and a container of Hot Nuts repellent designed to keep grey squirrels off bird feeders in his gardens. He joked with reporters: “I didn’t know you specialised in balloons. Where do you find these terrible things?”
Asked how he was feeling he said: “Older. It’s rather like indigestion – Many Happy Returns are not quite the same as you get older.”
Camilla, 71, who had admitted last week struggling to think of a present for him, was asked if she found something in the end. She replied: “I did. But I’m not telling.”
Asked if he might start slowing down now, the Prince said: “You may see it, slowly but surely.” Camilla interjected: “I doubt it.” At the reception the couple met guests who are volunteers with charities including The Prince’s Trust, The Silver Line, Maggie’s and Barnardo’s.
The group sang Happy Birthday before they all posed for a photo and sipped tea instead of bubbly.
At the end Charles quipped: “I was asked just now outside whether I was going to slow down. I’m not sure I’ve got much alternative.”