The king initially stopped appearing at public events as he was undergoing treatment. But the Times reported that he would still “continue to carry out other duties, including his weekly meeting with the prime minister, as well as the daily pile of paperwork he completes as Britain’s head of state.”
On April 27, Buckingham Palace said King Charles’s progress has been encouraging, so he would resume some public engagements — though it wouldn’t be a full return. Per the BBC:
“It is too early to say” for how much longer his treatment will continue, the palace said.
It added that doctors were “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery”.
The type of cancer has not been disclosed, but the King’s medical team are “sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties”.
On Tuesday, April 30 Charles and Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London to show their support for cancer research and highlight the importance of getting an early diagnosis. (It is not the facility where the king is receiving treatment.) The king was smiling and looked healthy during the visit, and told one patient, “I’m alright, thank you,” when asked about his health.
King Charles has appeared at a number of public events in recent weeks, including the unveiling of a very red official portrait some compared to the Vigo the Carpathian painting from Ghostbusters 2:
In late May, shortly after U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a parliamentary election for July 4, Buckingham Palace said the royals would cancel most public engagements to avoid distracting from the campaign.
King Charles took his first overseas trip since his diagnosis on June 6. He crossed the English Channel with Queen Camilla to take part in commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.
The king appeared with his daughter-in-law and other senior royals at Trooping the Colour on June 15.
While visiting Dyson Cancer Center in Bath, England on September 3, 2024, Queen Camilla was asked about Charles’s condition. She answered, “He is doing very well.”
King Charles paused his cancer treatment for a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa in October. The trip was seen as a test of Charles’s stamina, and it seems he passed. Though he raised health concerns by leaving a luncheon in his honor after just 10 minutes, afterward a Buckingham Palace official told the BBC to expect a full return to royal duties next year. “We’re now working on a pretty normal looking, full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on,” the palace aide said.
During a farewell ceremony in Samoa, Charles said he hopes “that I survive long enough to come back again and see you all.”
On December 20, Sky News reported that King Charles’s cancer treatment is expected to continue in 2025:
Palace sources have said “his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year”.
The source added there is a sense of optimism, which can be seen in the King’s desire to keep up a busy schedule of public engagements, including during the festive period.
King Charles thanked health care workers in his 2024 Christmas address, which was prerecorded at Fitzrovia Chapel, the former chapel of Middlesex Hospital in London.
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed. I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said.
