New portrait of King Charles as a modern monarch, ahead of his 75th birthday celebrations

A new image of the King will appear on the cover of a surprising choice of magazine, marking a distinct shift away from the pomp of his Coronation, as more changes are also coming.

King Charles III has unexpectedly emerged on the front cover of a magazine handed out by the homeless to mark his 75th birthday.

The latest official portrait, photographed by British fashion photographer Rankin, ahead of the monarch’s birthday on November 14 is a black-and-white cover image for The Big Issue.

It shows the King looking relaxed in a classic pinstripe suit, a marked contrast to the full regalia of his last official portrait for the Coronation.

It has been just over a year since his reign began, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, and six months since he was officially crowned at Westminster Abbey.

The King has his hands full with a high-profile family feud as well as rising republicanism in the UK, but according to royal watchers, the image shows a man at home and in control.

His birthday marks the launch of the Coronation Food project, which will intercept surplus food destined for landfills across the UK and redistribute it to those in need.

Experts say the decision to tackle the issues of food waste and insecurity during the cost of living crisis proves he is a modern monarch determined to make the job his own.

King Charles III on the cover of The Big Issue. Picture: Rankin/Rankin Creative/Getty Images

“Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste - and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one,” he said.

“It is my great hope that this Coronation Food Project will find practical ways to do just that - rescuing more surplus food, and distributing it to those who need it most.

“If a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one,” the King tells the Big Issue, in an edition to be published on Monday.

The decision to appear in The Big Issue comes after Prince William appeared on the cover for his 40th birthday last year, shining a light on the issue of homelessness.

The King will turn 75 next Tuesday, and on Monday he will share a party in Highgrove in Gloucestershire with other people or organisations who turn 75 this year.

On the day of his birthday, the King is hosting a reception for nurses and midwives as part of the NHS 75th anniversary celebrations.

The Royal Mint in the UK has produced a commemorative coin to mark the birthday, using silver recycled from medical and industrial X-ray film.

The names of his charities are also changing - such as the Prince’s Trust becoming the King’s Trust and the Prince’s Foundation becoming the King’s Foundation.

The King in fine form at an official engagement in London on November 9. Picture: AFP

PRINCE HARRY BREAKS SILENCE ON SNUB

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has broken his silence on bombshell claims he and wife Meghan Markle snubbed his father’s birthday celebrations, issuing a rare statement.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex face constant public scrutiny, as Prince Harry joked about in a recent stand-up comedy debut, they rarely directly address the rumours and innuendo of their royal rift unless part of a paid content publishing deal.

Reports they rejected an invitation to the 75th birthday party celebrations of King Charles III, however, saw the self-exiled royal quickly tamp down the suggestion he was behind the latest salvo in the family feud and instead place the blame squarely on Buckingham Palace.

“In response to UK media headlines, there has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday,” a Sussex spokesperson said in a statement to the Messenger.

“It is disappointing the Sunday Times has misreported this story.”

The UK’s Times reported that Prince Harry was invited to the Clarence House event on November 14, but rejected the olive branch in the latest deterioration of their relationship.

While Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted, an insider source confirmed to the Messenger that the Palace had “never reached out”.

FATHER-SON RELATIONS STILL AT ALL-TIME LOW

Prince Harry has rejected an invitation to his father’s 75th birthday celebrations in a sign that relations between the King and his California-based son are still at an all-time low.

The Duke of Sussex received the offer to attend his father’s party next week at Clarence House.

But sources told The Sunday Times that Prince Harry does not plan on going and the King is preparing to celebrate his birthday on November 14 with a small gathering of family and close friends.

Prince Harry at the F1 Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Picture: Getty Images

The gap between father and son remains wide after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s repeated attacks on the royal family.

A friend of King Charles told The Sunday Times: “When he gets to the end of another successful work day and thinks of his family, there will always be a twinge in his heart about a problem he hasn’t been able to solve yet.

The Duke of Sussex speaks to Princess Anne during the Coronation of King Charles. Picture: Getty Images

“But he will be taking the long-term view. The current act is a challenging one.

“There are issues that aren’t resolved and there won’t be a rapprochement any time soon.

“There is the sense of a cooling-off period from the family that is under way after the aftershocks of the book and interviews.

“But that doesn’t change the King’s love for his son. He’ll never not invite his son to a family gathering, because that’s not who he is.”

Prince Harry at the age of 21 with his father and brother in 2005. Picture: AP

The snub is the second time that Prince Harry has rejected an invitation from his father this year.

In September, the King is believed to have extended a similar offer during his son’s fly-in, fly-out visit to the UK but Prince Harry turned him down.

MEGHAN PLANS COMEBACK WITH TELL-ALL MEMOIR

Meghan Markle is planning a major comeback that will start with the release of her own tell-all memoir, according to royal experts.

Tom Bower, author of the book Revenge, told The Times the new memoir, which follows Prince Harry’s explosive Spare, would be “Meghan’s truth” and she’ll “undoubtedly settle some scores from her point of view”.

The Duchess of Sussex is set to release a tell-all memoir, say royal experts. Picture: Getty Images

“What she says she said to the Queen, to Kate, to Philip, all that will be in the book whether corroborated or not, and that’s a goldmine,” Bower said.

Royal author Phil Dampier said the Duchess of Sussex would leave no stone unturned and there was nothing she “won’t twist to justify her position” in the highly anticipated bombshell memoir.

He told The Sun that the royal family will assume the worst and brace themselves for more embarrassing revelations.

Meghan Markle is set to dish the dirt on the royal family. Picture: Getty Images

“It would only make the relations much worse, but I still don’t think the royals will hit back,” he said.

“They will stay quiet and soak it up, even though they will be deeply hurt by it.

“Their policy was for Harry and Meghan to run out of ammunition, but unfortunately they have plenty left in the form of a Meghan book.

“There is nothing she won’t twist to justify her position.”

The author said the devoted Prince Harry would back his wife “100 per cent”.

Meghan Markle is expected to reveal more details about her frosty relationship with Princess Catherine. Picture: Getty Images

“I personally don’t think Meghan ever intended to stay in the royal family,” he told The Sun.

“But that won’t stop her concocting her own narrative of events to justify her actions, and I’m sure Harry will back her up 100 per cent.

“Even if it’s not justified I think Meghan has now convinced herself that she is right and can’t see the other side’s point of view.

“She will claim she is putting forward her truth even if it’s not always the real truth.”

The Duchess of Sussex will likely reveal private royal conversations, an expert claims. Picture: Getty Images

The book is expected to touch upon Meghan’s volatile relationship with her estranged sister-in-law Catherine and father-in-law King Charles.

Dampier said Meghan was unlikely to criticise the late Queen but could reveal private conversations that would be very troubling for senior royals.

The royal expert last week claimed that Meghan had isolated Prince Harry and made him dependent on her.

Dampier said on GB News: “I’m told on good authority that he’s quite lonely. He’s quite isolated in California.

“Maybe that’s part of Meghan’s plan to isolate him from his friends as well as his family.

“I just don’t feel that he’s got a group of mates to go out and have a few beers with and unwind and relax, and talk about matey men things that we all like to do down the pub.

“He’s become completely dependent on her for his social life and when we see him and things like the Beyonce concert, basketball matches and things like that Formula One he was at.”

Originally published as New portrait of King Charles as a modern monarch, ahead of his 75th birthday celebrations