LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles will appear on the cover of the Big Issue, the magazine sold by homeless and vulnerable people, as he marks his 75th birthday by shining a spotlight on food insecurity and waste.
Charles has also authored an article for the magazine about the importance of finding ways to bridge the gap between food waste and food need, it said on Friday.
The piece will highlight the Coronation Food Project, an initiative launched by Charles to tackle food insecurity and waste.
Renowned British photographer Rankin took the monarch’s picture for the cover, a black-and-white portrait showing Charles looking at the camera and smiling.
“With every picture, you’re always drawn to different aspects of a personality,” Rankin, who also photographed the king’s late mother Queen Elizabeth in 2001 to mark her Golden Jubilee, said of Charles’ picture.
“I’ve always thought that he’s a very resilient human being. I think that’s what I got from him, that kind of steely determination.”
Charles’ son and heir Prince William appeared on the cover of the Big Issue when he turned 40 last year and was also seen selling the magazine on the streets of London.
The Big Issue’s editor, Paul McNamee, said Charles and the royal family’s support for the weekly went back decades and that the magazine backed the monarch’s Coronation Food Project.
“The cover comes at a key moment, when vendors face a tough winter,” McNamee said. “This will hopefully boost their sales, which is at the heart of why we exist.”
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Alex Richardson)
