Charles smiles with Camilla as he returns to London for more cancer treatment after public appearance at Sandringham
The King is expected to have further cancer treatment as an out-patient in London this month
KING Charles has been seen smiling and waving as he arrived back in London for more cancer treatment after recovering at Sandringham.
The monarch, 75, was accompanied by Queen Camilla and looked in good spirits after being diagnosed with a form of cancer last week.
Camilla was right by Charles’ side as they arrived together in the capital by helicopter after staying at his country residence in Sandringham for the past week.
After flying in to Buckingham Palace, the royals then travelled the short distance by car to Clarence House.
Charles, dressed in a grey suit with a black overcoat, was seen acknowledging people who were gathered outside the palace and along the Mall.
The King’s return to London is believed to be for further cancer treatment since the shock diagnosis rocked the country last week.
The Palace has not confirmed the type of cancer, but it is understood not to be the prostate.
His Majesty is said to have started receiving “pioneering” treatment and will return regularly to the capital for care.
Charles is expected to have further cancer treatment as an out-patient in London this month and the Palace has yet to set a date for his return to frontline duties.
Since 2003, Charles has lived at Clarence House, his official London residence mainly used for working engagements.
Prince Harry and Charles reunited at Clarence House last week after the Duke made a transatlantic dash following Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
Charles personally told Harry about his cancer diagnosis in what is understood to have been a warm conversation over the phone.
A convoy of two black SUVs took the prince from the airport’s VIP Windsor Suite to the royal residence.
The meeting was Harry and Charles’s first face-to-face encounter for 16 months.
On Sunday, the King was seen beaming as he headed to church with the Queen.
Writing in a signed message released on the weekend, the King gave thanks for the messages of support since last Monday’s announcement.
He said: “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
Inside Charles' 18-month reign before cancer shock
September 8 2022 – The world was left in mourning after Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022.
September 19 2022 – The stoic King led his family, marching behind the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, at her funeral.
January 2023 – The Monarch deals with the fall out following Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare – in which the Duke blasted the Royal Family.
April 2023 – Harry has a “heart-to-heart” talk with his dad before agreeing to come to the Coronation in London
May 6 2023 – Charles is crowned King at his Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
September 2023 – Harry rejects an offer to spend the anniversary of the Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father.
November 2023 – The King celebrates his 75th birthday with a gathering of close family and friends at Clarence House.
January 17 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces His Majesty will be undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Just hours previous it was also revealed Princess Kate had been admitted to hospital for a pre-planned abdominal surgery.
January 26 2024 – The King is admitted to The London Clinic – where Princess Kate was also staying.
January 29 2024 – Charles waves as he leaves the hospital following a three day stay and being given the all clear.
It is understood the Monarch will take a month to recover after the surgery as Queen Camilla stands in during public appearances.
February 5 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces a form of cancer was diagnosed during the King’s prostate op.
The statement confirms Charles has begun a schedule of regular treatments and “remains wholly positive”.
He will also be postponing front line duties on doctor’s advice but continue with his red boxes, weekly audiences with the Prime Minister, and monthly Privy Council meetings.
February 6 2024 – Prince Harry flies to the UK to be with his father as royal experts claim their four-year rift could be put aside.
The Duke of Sussex, who was informed of the news personally by the Monarch, was seen arriving into a private terminal at LAX in his black Range Rover.
And in the message, written from Sandringham, he added it was “equally heartening” that sharing his diagnosis has “shone a light” on the great work carried out by cancer charities.
He said: “My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
KING’S HEALTH BATTLE
His Majesty has postponed all frontline engagements while he undergoes cancer treatment.
It remains unclear when the King, 75, will be able to resume full-time public appearances.
He is expected to rest at Windsor Castle, Highgrove and Sandringham over the coming weeks and months.
His Majesty carried out a staggering 516 engagements last year, including 94 trips abroad.
However, King Charles will continue with his weekly audiences with the Prime Minister, but they may have to be scaled back on the advice of doctors.
In the meantime, other Royals, including the Queen, will continue with a full programme of public duties.
They are also likely to undertake additional duties on behalf of the King whilst he is out of action.
The cancer announcement came just eight days after His Majesty was released from hospital following a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate.
But a “separate issue of concern was noted” during his stay – and tests went on to find cancer.
The King and Queen were set to embark on a tour of Canada in May, which would have included trips to the Arctic Circle.
But the trip, coming after three successful state visits to France, Germany and Kenya last year, will not go ahead as planned.
There is huge speculation around the King and Queen’s travel plans later in the year.
The King had been keen to appear at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, which starts on October 21.
It would involve flying almost 10,000 miles to the South Pacific Ocean and would be held alongside the King and Queen’s first tour of Australia since the Coronation.
Last week’s shock announcement of the King’s cancer diagnosis revealed a “separate issue” had been found following a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
How Charles bravely revealed diagnosis to help others
KING Charles has bravely broken with royal protocol by sharing his cancer diagnosis.
Senior royals have in past been tight-lipped about their health battles.
The last top royal diagnosed with cancer was Charles’s grandfather George VI.
Heavy smoker George had his left lung removed for “structural abnormalities” in September 1951, months before he died.
The “abnormalities” were actually a life-threatening carcinoma, but the public never learned about George’s cancer ordeal.
Buckingham Palace said Charles wanted to share his cancer diagnosis to boost “public understanding” for cancer patients worldwide.
The Palace has not confirmed the type of cancer, but it is understood not to be the prostate.
His Majesty is said to be receiving “pioneering” treatment and will return regularly to London for care.
Palace sources say he wanted to be open about his condition to “prevent speculation” and “assist public understanding” about cancer.
Last month, NHS England recorded a massive surge in searches for melanoma after The Sun revealed Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
There was one visit every 13 seconds to the NHS website for information on the disease in the two days following the announcement.
