The Queen’s unexpected comment in her birthday toast to Charles

Prince Charles just turned 70 and no one could have been happier to stand by his side on the milestone occasion than his mum, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen hosted a party for her son on Wednesday night at Buckingham Palace and delivered a touching speech that we’re sure moved everyone in the room.

In front of guests including the royal family and members of royal families across Europe, the mother-of-four explained it was a ‘privilege’ to be there to celebrate with Charles.

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“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,” she said.

“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,” the speech continued.

“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,” she finished.

The mention of Camilla in the Queen’s speech comes as a bit of a surprise as there have been rumours of tensions between the women over the years.

According to Tom Bower, the author of the unauthorised biography Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles, there was a heated confrontation in 1998.

Charles reportedly confronted his mother about the frosty treatment Camilla had been receiving and demanded that she allow them to go public with their new relationship.

But judging by her kind words in the speech, here doesn’t appear to be any hard feelings between the Queen and her daughter-in-law.

The Queen’s touching toast was shared across official royal Instagram accounts and Twitter alongside a collection of photos of Charles and his mum throughout the years.