UK's King Charles To Resume Public-Facing Duties After Cancer Diagnosis

Britain’s King Charles to resume public duties after cancer treatment, set to visit cancer treatment center next week. (The Royal Palace/X)

Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that Britain’s King Charles will return to public duties next week for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer, as he makes good progress following treatment.

“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,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. “His majesty is greatly encouraged to be resuming some public-facing duties and very grateful to his medical team for their continued care and expertise.”

75-year-old king

The UK palace revealed in February that the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate. Although Charles continued with official state business, the diagnosis led him to postpone public engagements to begin treatment and rest. The spokesperson said his doctors were “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the king’s continued recovery”.

After his cancer diagnosis, Charles’s only public appearance came last month when he greeted well-wishers in an impromptu walkabout after an Easter church service in Windsor, raising hopes that his health was improving. To mark his return, he and his wife Queen Camilla will visit a cancer treatment centre in London next Tuesday, the royal palace said.

Japanese Emperor Visit

The palace also confirmed that the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, would pay a state visit in late June. However, Charles will not carry out his usual summer programme and his plans will be crafted in consultation with his medical team to minimise risks to recovery. The king’s absence has coincided with news that his daughter-in-law was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests in the wake of major abdominal surgery revealed cancer had been present.

The Princess of Wales, aka, Kate Middleton, will herself only return to public duties when her medical team say she is well enough to do so. Charles’s health scare came less than 18 months into his reign after he succeeded from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, and less than a year since his coronation, Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades.

(With agency inputs)