King Charles III marks first anniversary of coronation
In a stirring montage of scenes, King Charles III has marked the one year anniversary of his ascension to the throne. See the video.
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King Charles III has marked the first anniversary of his coronation following a difficult year that has seen a cancer diagnosis and continuing tensions with his estranged son Prince Harry.
Gun salutes were fired in central London and at other locations across the UK to mark the occasion.
No official events, however, were planned with the milestone coming less than a week after King Charles, 75, resumed public duties since his diagnosis, and his ongoing treatment.
BEATRICE GIVES UPDATE ON FERGIE
The King’s niece, Princess Beatrice, has given an update on her mother Sarah Ferguson’s cancer battle.
Beatrice gave her first ever live TV interview on Britain’s This Morning, revealing that doctors had given her mother the all-clear.
Fergie was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma after undergoing surgery for breast cancer last year.
A proud Beatrice, speaking on the British morning show via video link from the top of the Empire State Building in New York, described her mother as “a phenomenal icon” and said “there’s nothing more important than family.”
“As a mum she’s been amazing. She’s been through so much and her sense of purpose and resilience really keeps me going,” she said.
Beatrice said her 64-year-old mother was “thriving” and “coming into her own”.
“We are just reminded when any parent or individual has a health scenario, you really need to get the checks you need as early as you possibly can,” she said.
“And both my sister and I are so proud of her for taking those steps to get those checks.”
Beatrice’s comments came as her father, Prince Andrew, was seen looking grim-faced as he drove through Windsor amid renewed fears he will be evicted from his Royal Lodge home.
Despite the 30-room mansion “crumbling” and facing “extensive repairs”, Andrew is still refusing to leave after a row last year with Prince William and King Charles, The Sun reports.
DOCTORS ‘ENCOURAGED’ BY KING’S PROGRESS
The monarch made his first official return to work a visit to fellow cancer patients at a London hospital on Tuesday after doctors said they were “very encouraged” by his progress.
Charles sat and talked to patients and even shook and held their hands as he shared his feelings about his own diagnosis. The Palace has not disclosed the type of cancer he has.
His Majesty was said keen to mark the occasion of his coronation with little “fuss”, as his accession to the throne was made possible by the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
The royal family did, however, post to their official social media accounts a highlight reel of moments from the coronation.
Last year’s coronation saw tens of thousands of people line the streets of London and street parties held up and down the country.
Television images of the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey was beamed around the world.
This year, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who crowned King Charles at Westminster Abbey praised his “sense of duty”.
“The past year has presented the King with some great personal challenges. But I have been struck by his continued sense of duty, having recently returned to royal engagements following treatment,” he said.
“His openness in sharing his condition has been characteristic of his willingness to help and support others,” he added.
It also appears to have impacted the results of an Ipsos poll for the Daily Mail which saw King Charles’s personal popularity rating rise to 56 per cent.
Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, were the most popular members of the royal family on 69 per cent each, up 8-10 per cent since last April.
Catherine, 42, also known as Kate, announced her own shock cancer diagnosis in late March following abdominal surgery which had already forced her to withdraw from public life.
The double blow of both King Charles and Catherine’s ill health has left the royal family with a shortage of frontline royals with William also stepping back for a while to help care for his wife and family.
Queen Camilla, 76, stepped in to take over many of her husband’s engagements while King Charles’s sister Princess Anne and his youngest brother Prince Edward have also taken on more prominent roles.
But King Charles and Catherine’s absence was felt even more keenly as the king’s younger son Prince Harry is no longer a working royal.
Harry dramatically relocated to North America in 2020 with his wife Meghan Markle.
Harry will return to the UK this week to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games for disabled military veterans.
There have been conflicting reports about whether Harry and Charles will see each other during this visit.
Charles’s celebrations were not marred by antimonarchy protests in London held the day before, with demonstrators holding signs that said “not my king” and other anti-royal slogans.
- With AFP
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