On his 70th Birthday The Prince of Wales poses for a portrait with the Duchess of Cornwall before heading to his birthday party at Buckingham Palace tonight pic.twitter.com/HNEN7KH3wM

— Chris Jackson (@ChrisJack_Getty) November 14, 2018

The Prince of Wales celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday. Last night, in London, there was a big blowout party at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen. Everybody came out for it – William and Kate, Harry and Meghan and… I’m assuming Charles’ siblings were there too. Strictly black tie! The Queen made a toast to Charles and we know some of what she said to him:

The Queen tonight paid a warm tribute to her son as she toasted Prince Charles’s 70th birthday. Speaking at a private family party at Buckingham Palace, the monarch spoke of what a ‘privilege’ it was for her, as a mother, to honour him on such a momentous occasion. It is understood that Charles was ‘deeply touched’ by his mother’s words which, in a family not known for its public pronouncements of love and affection, was almost unprecedented.

Raising a glass at the black tie dinner, the Queen said: ‘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.

‘Over his 70 years, 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.’

[From The Daily Mail]

What a lovely speech! I enjoy the reference to a “duchy original,” which is Charles’ line of organic food, and I love how warm this speech felt. Still, British peeps gonna British, so I guess a mother can’t say “I love you, darling” on her son’s birthday.

Some photos of the Duchesses and Dukes arriving for the party. Kate wore PINK and her big costume-jewelry earrings (we’ve seen them before). Meghan wore black, I think.

The post is up! “Meghan Shines at Buckingham Palace Birthday Bash for Prince Charles” https://t.co/4Yte25qqqc pic.twitter.com/HeTNdgyOGp

— What Meghan Wore (@whatmegwore) November 15, 2018

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Chris Jackson for Getty.