King Charles celebrated his 77th birthday by taking control of a tram-train as he opened a new rail depot in South Wales.
The King was in Taff’s Well, near Cardiff, to formally unveil the South Wales Metro Depot as part of a series of engagements for his birthday.
He took the driver's seat to take the tram around the depot before meeting Transport for Wales staff who worked to create the project.
The purpose-built depot is able to maintain a fleet of 36 tram-trains, which will create 400 jobs, and will operate across the South Wales area.
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The tram-train driven by the King was officially named Myddfai, after the small Carmarthenshire village in the Brecon Beacons, near Charles’s former Welsh home.
Charles was presented with an old piece of rail, which had been made into bookends by Amey, who constructed the fleet of tram-trains, and a Swiss cow bell from rail rolling stock manufacturer Stadler, who built the fleet.
The chief executive of Transport for Wales, James Price, said: “It’s been a pleasure to host King Charles at Taff’s Well and for him to tour our South Wales Metro depot.
King Charles tried his hand at train driving in South Wales as part of his birthday celebrations
|PA
“With electrified railways, brand-new trains and a state-of-the-art depot, the South Wales Metro is transforming the way people travel in the region, and most importantly, connecting people and communities to opportunities.
“We’re in the final stages of electrifying 170km of track and have already introduced our first electric trains onto the network, alongside pay-as-you-go ticketing for our customers.
“We’re excited to start introducing the brand new tram-trains next year, as we continue to transform travel and attract people to use public transport.”
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The South Wales Metro Depot will allow for 400 jobs in Taff's Well
|PA
The project, which will launch next year, is backed by more than £1billion of investment, will include 170km of electrified track and will improve accessibility at many stations.
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen had joined a reception at Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil to celebrate his birthday.
Welsh celebrities and TV personalities attended the event, including reality TV star Liam Reardon, Gavin and Stacey writer Ruth Jones, and TikTok creator Lewis Leigh.
The guests sang happy birthday to the King before the 77-year-old cut his cake, which was a replica of the castle made out of vanilla sponge, jam, and buttercream.
The Queen later visited the nearby Cyfarthfa Primary School to mark Poetry Together Day while the King was visiting the rail depot.
Prince William and Princess Kate took to social media to wish the King a happy birthday.
On their X account, they posted: “Happy Birthday to His Majesty The King!” and accompanied the message with an image of Charles walking through the gardens at Highgrove House.
The King’s birthday comes after a number of high-profile personal and public events that have made for a difficult year for Charles.
King Charles spent time with the staff who had created the new tram-trains
|PA
The monarch was diagnosed with an undiagnosed form of cancer earlier this year and is still undergoing regular treatment, which is believed to be weekly.
There has also been the ongoing scandal of his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which saw Charles remove Andrew’s royal titles in an unprecedented step for the King.
The year has also seen Charles make a historic visit to the Vatican, where he became the first monarch since the Reformation to pray alongside the Pope in a public service.
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