On the occasion of the King’s 74th birthday, an official image was produced depicting him in his new position as a ranger of Windsor Great Park.
In the park, King Charles III may be seen reclining against an ancient oak tree as he assumes a position previously held by his father, Prince Philip.
The shot, which is bright with autumn sunlight, was captured last week.
The King is anticipated to celebrate his first birthday as king discreetly.
As the new ranger, the King assumes a position dating back to the 16th century as a steward of one of the country’s oldest landed estates.
The Berkshire park receives over five million visitors annually, and the King, an avid environmentalist, will now oversee its maintenance.
Prince Philip reintroduced red deer to the 5,000-acre estate during his administration, which lasted until he died in 2021 and spanned over seven decades.
Monday morning, outside Buckingham Palace, the band of the Household Cavalry played “Happy Birthday” for King Charles during the changing of the guard ritual.
Across London, gun salutes were fired, with the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery firing 41 volleys at Green Park. A 62-gun salute was fired by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London.
The queen also has a separate formal birthday in the summer, which is related to the Trooping the Colour event.
Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday was scheduled for a Saturday in mid-June, and the annual Birthday honors were announced on that day. It has not yet been determined whether the King would follow the same pattern.
King Charles has previously experienced several remarkable birthday festivities.
Before his 50th birthday in 1998, the then-Prince of Wales attended the filming of a televised birthday extravaganza at London’s Lyceum Theatre to benefit the Prince’s Trust.
Rowan Atkinson reprised his character as Lord Blackadder from the renowned comedy series, and Stephen Fry portrayed the then-Prince of Wales in a special comedic routine.
But probably the most memorable part of the evening was when Geri Halliwell, who had recently left the Spice Girls, sang Happy Birthday in a frantic manner reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 delivery for President John F. Kennedy.
As Prince of Wales, Charles was occasionally away on official foreign tours for his birthday and celebrated it with a cake abroad.
On his seventieth birthday, the king confessed his fondness for “groussaka,” his version of the Greek meal moussaka made with grouse instead of lamb.
