King Charles’ birthday: Latest updates as gun salutes ring out across London for monarch who turns 76 as he spends day tackling food waste after Gladiator II premiere appearance

As the King celebrates his birthday on November 14, alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, will he also perhaps reflect on what might have been. It could just as easily have been Diana as his Queen if his mother Queen Elizabeth II had had her way.

As heir to the throne at the time, Charles had to seek the permission of Her Majesty to marry, as all those in the line of succession had to. He might have followed the earlier example of his sister, Princess Anne, who when asked how difficult it was, replied: ‘Not half as difficult as asking permission to get divorced.’ Which they both were required to do at some time.

These days, Anne is so far down the line that it isn’t necessary for her to ask anyone’s permission.

Queen Camilla is expected to be absent from the King’s birthday engagements today after falling unwell.

On Tuesday, the Queen reassured she was ‘on the mend’ as she conducted her first public engagement after contracting a ‘nasty’ chest infection.

Camilla said she was determined to meet Booker Prize finalists at Clarence House despite picking up a seasonal bug which has laid her low for the past week.

She was, however, forced to pull out of attending the premiere of Gladiator II last night with the King and from opening a Coronation Food hub with him today.

When most people meet King Charles they might get a firm handshake and exchange a few pleasantries.

But as you would expect, he acts in a far more relaxed manner around those close to him – especially his two sons William and Harry in their younger days.

In their company he could be seen fooling around, laughing and joking, playing rough and tumble, and even hugging and kissing, according to one royal biographer.

However in recent years, the King’s private character has come under fire from the disillusioned Prince Harry, who claimed in his tell-all book Spare that the ‘older generation’ of royals had a ‘nearly zero-tolerance prohibition on all physical contact’.

Despite the mound of photo evidence proving the contrary, he wrote: ‘No hugs, no kisses, no pats. Now and then, maybe a light touching of cheeks – on special occasions.’

Here, on the day King Charles turns 76, MailOnline goes inside his private life and reveals his family persona.

Read Cameron Roy’s full report here.

King Charles yesterday shared a laugh with actor Damian Lewis as he hosted a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the centenary of the Film and TV Charity.

Among all the famous faces, it was the 53-year-old Homeland star who made the royal roar chuckle in a conversation about Henry VIII.

Lewis is currently starring as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light – a historical drama following Oliver Cromwell’s last four years of life, which saw him established as one of the most powerful men of the era.

Talking of his role in the show, which the King is understood to have watched with his wife Queen Camilla, Damian cheekily told Charles: ‘At least you can claim not to be related to him!’

Charles found light in the comment and laughed with the actor before adding: ‘You are fantastic in it.’

While the King is not a direct descendant of Henry VIII – his daughter Elizabeth I had no children – Charles is related to the Tudor monarch through Henry’s father, Henry VII.

The King is the Patron of the Film and TV Charity, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II, who had held the patronage since 1952.

King Charles joked that a young girl who presented the royal with flowers at the Gladiator II premiere was ‘not allowed to watch’ the famously gory film.

The monarch, 75, couldn’t help but chuckle as Kaitlyn Coleman, seven, and Sophie Alger, four, gave him a brochure and a bouquet as he arrived for the screening at Leicester Square this evening.

‘Where’s your mummy,’ he asked one of the children, after he received his gifts before the showing.

When told that the mother was at work, Charles laughed while telling the kids the movie is not suitable for them.

In another sweet moment, the King gently tapped one of the young girls on her shoulder in thanks, after receiving his flowers.

The Royal Family has posted a tweet wishing King Charles a happy birthday as he turns 76.

The King visits Oxfordshire to launch the project on his 75th birthday

King Charles will today open two hubs that will distribute surplus food to food banks, schools and community centres as part of his Coronation Food Project which aims to tackle food waste.

The scheme seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom.

It involves saving surplus food, creating a network of Coronation Food Hubs and funding further food-rescuing initiatives.

Working with charities FareShare and the Felix Project, the Coronation Food Project has so far saved around 940 tonnes of surplus food – equivalent to 2,240,000 meal portions.

£15 million has been raised to design, build and run a network of up to ten Coronation Food Hubs across the UK.

King Charles made a film-star worthy entrance as he arrived for the Gladiator II world premiere at Leicester Square last night in his state Bentley limousine.

The royal spent the eve of his birthday watching the highly anticipated blockbuster, hot off the heels of a glittering reception he and Camilla hosted to celebrate the centenary of the Film and TV Charity.

He looked dapper in a black tuxedo, teamed with a bowtie, at the red carpet where the monarch smiled for the cameras.

Earlier in the evening, Charles and his wife chatted with A-listers including the film’s director Ridley Scott as they welcomed a slew of stars to Buckingham Palace.

See our video below of the King meeting the cast on the red carpet:

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage as King Charles marks his 76th birthday.

Far from putting his feet up to celebrate the occasion, the monarch will spend the day opening two hubs that will distribute large volumes of surplus food to food banks, schools and community centres.

However, his birthday will be rung in by gun salutes across London.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41 Gun Royal Salute from 12pm in Green Park and The Honourable Artillery Company will fire a 62 Gun Royal Salute from Tower Wharf from 1pm.

Join us for the latest updates on the King throughout the day plus all the reaction and birthday well wishes.