'A Birthday Card for Prince Charles' was written for the Sanday Fiddle Club, in celebration of the sixtieth birthday of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Sanday is one of the Orkney Islands, the archipelago that since 1970 Maxwell Davies has made his home. The Sanday Fiddle Club is a mixed-level group for the community. This work is therefore intended to be enjoyed by all string players. Maxwell Davies has always built and maintained close links with the community and the annual St Magnus Festival, which he founded in 1977.