Queen throws private bash for Charles' 70th

Charles is about to begin his eighth decade from a position of confidence with his charitable work in full swing, his sons forging their own public lives and the Duchess of Cornwall by his side providing support.

The future king turns 70 tomorrow and is likely to take part in a public event to mark the day.

In the evening the Queen will throw a private Buckingham Palace birthday bash for her eldest son and heir.

The guest list is likely to include Charles’ friends from his public and private life, members of the Royal Family and others who have played an important role in the prince’s life.

Birthday celebrations have already begun with a gala comedy and magic night staged for the prince at the London Palladium in October.

The event called We Are Most Amused And Amazed was in aid of the Prince’s Trust and will be screened on ITV this evening.

Among the all-star line-up for the event were Bill Bailey, Rowan Atkinson, Sandi Toksvig, Omid Djalili, Alistair McGowan and Kylie Minogue.

The heir to the throne, who is facing the growing prospect he will assume the role of head of state, made headlines last week when he spoke about how he sees his future.

In a BBC documentary he said his days of speaking out on issues, dubbed “meddling” by critics, will end when he becomes king.

Speaking about being heir to the throne compared to being monarch, Charles said: “But the idea somehow that I’m going to go on in exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense because the two – the two situations – are completely different.”

The Queen is 92 and she still carries out her full duties as head of state but her family, led by Charles, are increasingly supporting her public work.

Charles has recently returned from a major tour of West Africa where he promoted the Commonwealth, Britain’s interests and helped strengthen the UK’s links with Nigeria, the Gambia and Ghana.