King Charles to return to front line duties with visit to cancer centre

King Charles’ ongoing recovery from cancer will see him out and about in public soon, starting with a visit to a cancer centre next week and he may still visit Australia later this year.

King Charles III smiles as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Picture: Hollie Adams – WPA Pool/Getty Images.

King Charles has made a much-welcomed announcement that he will return to front line royal duties after having had treatment and recuperation for cancer.

Charles’ ongoing recovery from the still undisclosed cancer which was diagnosed shortly after he had prostate treatment in January will see the monarch out and about greeting the public in the coming months.

If all goes well through the British summer – and a decision will not be made on this in the immediate future – there is a chance he could attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa at the end of October and shoehorn in a visit to Australia, a country he much loves.

His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis.
 
To help mark this milestone, The King and Queen will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next Tuesday, where they… pic.twitter.com/jWF8ITP0rg

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 26, 2024

However the Palace has not confirmed any engagements other than that King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday and will also host their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan who will attend Britain for a state visit in June.

It is understood the Palace is “carefully calibrating’’ how Charles feels and will slowly introduce more public engagements if he is well enough.

An Australian royal visit has been a personal priority of the monarch since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, and finding the right time for such an extensive trip has been difficult.

Instead the King has conducted short overseas tours to Germany, France and Kenya on behalf of the British Foreign Office.

Initial planning for a trip to Italy including visiting the Pope in the Vatican was put on hold when the extent of Charles’ health woes were discovered in early February.

Queen Camilla and King Charles III depart from the Easter Matins Service at Windsor Castle. Picture: Getty Images.

On Friday evening London time, Charles, 75, issued his health update, in the same timeslot as his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales announced her own cancer diagnosis.

But while Catherine’s news on March 22 was a huge shock and devastating to all, Charles’ words have provided much reassurance to the public.

The statement, issued by Buckingham Palace said: “His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis” The visit to the cancer centre will “be the first in a number of external engagements His Majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead’’.

Charles had taken great heart from the reception he received on an impromptu walkabout after an Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle where he shook the hands of more than 50 people and received heartfelt good wishes.

King Charles took heart from the reception he received on a walkabout after the Easter Service. Picture: Hollie Adams – WPA Pool/Getty Images.

At the time he said he had “just been obeying (doctor’s) instructions” and responded to one person who wished him good health, saying: “I have been doing my best”.

For the past four months the King has continued to work on official paperwork and hold private meetings including the weekly Wednesday chat with the British prime minister Rishi Sunak while undergoing treatment.

But the Palace has been planning for a careful and measured series of steps for the King to resume meeting members of the public after he began to respond to the cancer treatment very encouragingly in recent weeks.

Significantly the Palace has not confirmed if Charles will attend the Trooping the Colour – his own birthday parade and inspection of troop flags – held on June 15 in central London.

It is believed planners are preparing for Charles, if he feels well enough, to travel in a carriage, rather than ride horseback, from Buckingham Palace, down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade.

There are other gentle appointments throughout the British summer such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Highland Games, the Queens Reading Room Festival and the 100th anniversary of the Gold Cup at Cheltenham Festival that the King may consider attending.

Meanwhile there have been no further updates about the health of Catherine, 42. She began chemotherapy for cancer at the end of February after having had major abdominal surgery on January 16.

This week the Prince of Wales did not attend any of the Anzac Day services in London, instead visiting a West Midlands school to talk about mental health with children, and tell a knock knock favourite joke of Princess Charlotte.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “Brilliant news to end the week”.

To celebrate the occasion Buckingham Palace released a new photograph of the King with his Queen arm in arm taken in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on April 10, the day after their 19th wedding anniversary.

The palace said: “As the first anniversary of The Coronation approaches, Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.”