King Charles at Three-Quarters of a Century

 

by Pa Rock

Septuagenarian

King Charles III is having a birthday today.  The still-working father of two and grandfather of five, is turning seventy-five.  On this date, November 14th, the old Royal and I become the same age, and then the following March I pull ahead by adding another year to my age.  We've been doing this dance-across-time since 1948.

I'm retired now and waste a lot of my time blogging.  Charles, who just came into his adult profession less than two years ago, is obviously still working.  His job is largely ceremonial, but even that involves quite a bit of physical exertion, and Charles is also committed to a wide range of charity work which helps to add meaning to his existence.  His current work emphasis is on feeding the poor.

Even though Charles is relatively new to his job, he is nevertheless already the sixth longest-lived British monarch behind his mother, Elizabeth II, Victoria, George III, Edward VIII, and George II.

The new king may have been late in arriving on the throne, thanks to the incredibly long life of his mother, but he had already accomplished the most important of his kingly duties before the crown was placed on his head.  Charles had dutifully spread his seed and fathered the necessary and expected "heir and the spare" to carry his royal lineage safely into the future.

Seventy-five is old, and I suspect that King Charles and I share a variety of aches, pains, and regrets.  He, too, could retire, a move that would certainly lower his stress level and probably lengthen his life, but after waiting so many years for his moment in the sun, I doubt that he would choose that option.  The King appears to be a man who wants to make his mark in the world, but is also acutely aware that he is quickly running out of time.

(Elderly American politicians, on the other hand, do not serve lifetime appointments, no matter what they think, and by the time they are seventy-five they should definitely be out of the way and allowing the next couple of generations to have their turns at running the government.)

Happy birthday, King Charles.  Grab a nap if you get the chance.  You'll be glad you did!