King Charles - live: Monarch’s poignant return to public unveiled as doctors ‘pleased’ with cancer treatment
Doctors ‘sufficiently pleased with progress so far’ to allow 75-year-old to step up work again
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King Charles is set to return to public duties next week after his treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer had a “positive effect”.
The 75-year-old monarch has been receiving outpatient care and has only been seen on a handful of occasions since announcing his condition in February, when he stepped back from engagements involving the public.
Despite the news, sources said that the King still has cancer and would continue to undergo treatment while managing his summer schedule.
His first engagement will be to visit a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday accompanied by Queen Camilla, though it is not a centre directly involved in his medical care. There he will meet medical specialists and patients as patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty’s treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.
“Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimise any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
Watch King Charles’s last public appearance as palace give health update on cancer diagnosis
Watch King Charles’s last public appearance as palace give health update on cancer
King Charles III’s last public appearance was on Easter Sunday as he smiled and waved at crowds during a walkabout. Buckingham Palace said His Majesty will return to public royal duties after the positive effect of cancer treatment. He has been receiving care as an outpatient since early February and the announcement will be a boost for the monarchy as it comes to terms with King and the Princess of Wales as cancer patients. In this clip, Charles greeted a long line of well-wishers after the service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday 31 March. Kate is away from official duties while undergoing chemotherapy.
Listen: King delivers personal message after royal cancer diagnosis
The King delivered a personal Easter message during a Royal Maundy Service last month, expressing “great sadness” at not being able to attend in person.
Listen: King Charles delivers personal Easter message after royal cancer diagnosis
The King delivered his personal Easter message during a Royal Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral today (28 March). Charles’s message was broadcast before the start of the service, as the King expressed “great sadness” at not being able to attend in person. The monarch is currently undergoing cancer treatment, following his diagnosis earlier this year. In his message, he said: “In this country we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare. “But over and above these organisations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.”
Sunak says ‘brilliant’ and Starmer ‘delighted’
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said the King’s return to public duties was brilliant news, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer posted a longer message, wishing the King and Princess of Wales well.
King and Queen to host Japanese emperor
The King and Camilla will play host to the emperor and empress of Japan in June, Buckingham Palace announced.
A spokesman said Tuesday’s visit to a cancer centre would be the first in a number of external engagements for the King in the weeks ahead, adding: “In addition, the King and Queen will host Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan for a state visit in June, at the request of HM Government.”
King and Queen to visit cancer centre
Buckingham Palace said that to mark the King’s return to public duties, he and Camilla would visit a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday to meet medical specialists and patients.
The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, taking place at the hospital.
The hospital has not been publicly identified.
Charles cancer diagnosis: How the Royal Family rallied around the King
Members of the royal family were quick to support Charles in different ways
Watch: King 'hopes to be peacemaker between William and Harry’
King Charles hoping to be ‘peacemaker’ between William and Harry, says palace source
King Charles III hopes to be a "peacemaker" between Prince William and Prince Harry, a palace source has told Sky News Australia. Grant Harrold, a former butler who worked with the monarch when he was the Prince of Wales, told the outlet it was "very likely" the princes would reconnect this year. It comes as the Duke of Sussex is scheduled to return to London in May for a St Paul's Cathedral service marking the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games. "The King will want the brothers to patch things up so it’s more than likely that he could play peacemaker,” Mr Harrold added.
How Charles and Kate supported each other after cancer diagnoses
The day before the Princess of Wales announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer, the King is said to have driven to Windsor Castle to have lunch with her:
How Charles and Kate supported each other before both were diagnosed with cancer
The monarch was reportedly left ‘emotional’ after a lunch with the princess on Thursday
Priest punches air in delight
A parish priest said he punched the air in delight when he learnt of the King’s news. Tom Mumford, from Ipswich, Suffolk, wrote “wonderful news!”
King gave Kate new honour for taking on more responsibilities
The Princess of Wales was this week given a new title by King Charles in recognition of her “taking on more responsibilities”:
Kate Middleton given new honour in recognition of taking on ‘more responsibilities’
The king wanted to recognise the princess’s hard work
Secrets of a king’s physician: What happens when a monarch is seriously ill
Buckingham Palace has been astonishingly open compared with official revelations of earlier monarchs’ illnesses:
The secrets of a king’s physician – what really happens when a monarch is ill
There was a time when the palace not only hid royal diagnoses from the public, but even from the patient themselves. Harry Mount reveals how the royal household is determined to do things differently following the announcement King Charles is being treated for cancer
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