King Charles III resumed his public activities on Tuesday after a three-month hiatus due to his cancer, with doctors saying they were “satisfied enough” to allow this gradual resumption, tailored to his health.
Relaxed and smiling
This first look is very carefully researched. The 75-year-old royal attends the Macmillan Cancer Center at University College Hospital in London.
He arrived by car. Accompanied by his wife Camilla, he shook hands before entering the building, visibly relaxed and smiling. He then met with doctors and patients.
However, he is not cured: his treatment continues and there is no question of a “complete summer program”. His commitments will be “carefully calibrated” in “close consultation with his doctors”, Buckingham Palace said, announcing the renewal of “a number” of commitments on Friday.
The king’s agenda will depend on the advice of doctors
The King and Queen are expected to receive Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako for a state visit at the invitation of the British government at an unspecified date in June.
Other possible engagements – Royal Ascot, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Trooping the Color in June, traditional garden parties – will be subject to the advice of his doctors, closer to their date.
According to Buckingham Palace, these doctors are “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain optimistic that the King’s recovery will continue”.
He continued his constitutional work
Nine months after his coronation in May 2023, the palace announced in early February that Charles III. suffering from cancer, discovered after prostate surgery in January. His nature and state of progress were never specified, but the announcement of his illness was in itself a small revolution that broke the silence surrounding the king’s health until then.
Charles III then suspended his public activities but continued his duties as a constitutional monarch, which include signing laws, meeting regularly with the Prime Minister and confirming certain appointments.
The Palace regularly released photos or very short videos of him receiving personalities, preparing a speech or reading healing cards.
“I think he’s very frustrated,” says his nephew
The king, who had been very active before his cancer, was apparently eager to resume his public activities.
“I think he’s very frustrated (…) that he can’t do everything he wants,” his nephew Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son, said at the end of March on Sky News Australia that Charles III. he “pushed” those around him, including his doctors, to do more.
On Easter Sunday, the King, with a drawn but happy face, enjoyed a short, carefully staged crowd bath at the end of the graduation ceremony at Windsor Castle Chapel.
Princess Kate, also suffering from cancer, stays out of the public eye
The year 2024 has been particularly difficult for the British royal family. In addition to the king, Princess of Wales Kate also suffers from cancer, diagnosed after a major abdominal operation in January.
The 42-year-old royal star princess announced her illness on March 22 in a touching video, hinting that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. She did not specify the nature of her cancer. There has been no word since then from Kensington Palace, which manages communications between her and her husband, Prince William, the heir to the throne. The latter also resumed his official activities in mid-April.