King Charles to appear on the cover on the Big Issue to mark his 75th birthday in a Rankin portrait – as he launches a new project to tackle food poverty

• King Charles to appear on the cover on the Big Issue to mark his 75th birthday
• READ MORE:  The King will feature on the front page of the Big Issue magazine

The King will feature on the front page of the Big Issue magazine to mark the launch of the Coronation Food Project.

Charles is to use his milestone 75th birthday to officially launch the scheme which aims to support the nation during the cost-of-living crisis by redistributing food destined for landfills.

In a black and white shot,  taken by Rankin, a favourite photographer of the late Queen, Charles looks over his shoulder at the camera and sports a classic pinstriped tailored suit.

The Big Issue’s article will be published on Monday, ahead of the King’s birthday on Tuesday and in the piece, Charles notes his concern for the amount of food waste across the country.

The King says: ‘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.

The King will feature on the front page of the Big Issue magazine to mark the launch of the Coronation Food Project

‘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.’

The magazine also spoke to Baroness Louise Casey and Dame Martina Milburn, co-chairs of The Coronation Food Project, giving a snapshot of food insecurity across the UK and shedding light on organisations that are supporting those in need.

The Big Issue’s cover photo was captured by acclaimed British photographer Rankin in the Clarence House Gardens in October 2023.

The article also showcases the official emblem of The Coronation Food Project, which was created by designer Sir Jony Ive and his creative collective LoveFrom.

An animation featuring The Coronation Food Project will also be displayed for 10 minutes in Piccadilly Circus in London at 5.30pm on the King’s birthday.

Charles is following in his son’s footstep’s with a cover of the Big Issue.

William appeared on the cover of the magazine, sold by people to get out of homelessness, for his fortieth birthday last year.

The then Duke of Cambridge wrote for the magazine to explain why he wanted to shine a light on the issue for his milestone, which he celebrates tomorrow, after going undercover as a Big Issue seller on the streets of London earlier this month. 

Charles is to use his milestone 75th birthday to officially launch the scheme which aims to support the nation during the cost-of-living crisis by redistributing food destined for landfills

He also recalled how his interest in the issue of homelessness started aged 11, when he first visited a homeless shelter with his mother, the Princess of Wales. He added that Diana, ‘in her own inimitable style, was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem’.

The magazine, sold by people in order to lift themselves out of poverty, also includes an interview between William and Dave Martin, 60, the Big Issue vendor he joined to sell the magazine.

One of the world’s top photographers, Rankin, 56, famously photographed the late Queen Elizabeth II back in the Autumn of 2001.

Rankin said that he is kicking himself after he had to turn down photographing King Charles when he was still a prince. 

He said: ‘I was asked to photograph him for the Big Issue but the dates didn’t work out. I was also a bit reluctant, I wasn’t sure. But I’ve since kicked myself.

‘It wouldn’t have worked out because of the dates – but I am fascinated by people who are born into positions that they have very little choice about.

‘In the same way people are born into poverty, I am fascinated by that.’

Charles is following in his son’s footstep’s with a cover of the Big Issue

He previously told MailOnline that he admired the way the monarch was able to tell him ‘no’ about some of his creative ideas, but in a nice way.

It’s been well-documented that Rankin had intended to shoot the Queen with a sword in her hand in her throne room, but she declined saying she didn’t like her hands.

But Rankin told MailOnline: ‘I’m not sure if she did or didn’t like her hands but I think in hindsight she said she didn’t as a way of being nice without saying “no”.

‘When the photo came back, the Palace rejected one and approved another, but the one they rejected was the one they ended up using everywhere – with the Union Jack.

‘They perhaps rejected it because it was very nationalistic. It maybe felt wrong at the time, but it was amazing picture. I don’t always think that about my work because I am very obsessive.

‘But the Queen said “I like the stitching on the flag” and that was her way of saying which one she wanted me to use without explicitly saying it. 

‘That’s an art in itself.’ 

Rankin has said he’s had good and bad experiences when it has come to how well he has connected with the people he has worked with on shoots. 

He said: ‘Heidi Klum has become a really good friend who I met about 18 years ago. I love really powerful people but being heterosexual, I love powerful women.

‘She is buoyant, cheeky, funny. She tries to get me to dance all the time.

‘It’s always been a brother and sister thing with me and Heidi. We just got on, I’m sure she was never attracted to me but I was never like “I really find her attractive”. I just thought she is the funniest best person.

‘I also really like Germans as well. I don’t know why, there is a sense of humour I really like.’

Source: Read Full Article