KUALA LUMPUR – The British head of state, King Charles III, will visit a cancer treatment centre today on his return to public duties after the monarch himself was diagnosed with the disease in February.
Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that doctors were sufficiently pleased with the 75-year-old king’s response to treatment for the unspecified form of cancer, allowing him to resume some public-facing engagements, according to Reuters.
The first of these will be a visit to a cancer treatment centre to meet patients and medical specialists.
The Palace has also announced Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will host a state visit by Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, in late June.
Charles’ health issues began in January, when it was revealed that he would be admitted to the hospital to undergo a corrective procedure for a benign, enlarged prostate.
The following month, the palace announced that tests had uncovered a “form of cancer”, without providing further details except to specify that it did not involve his prostate.
He has rested and undergone treatment for the disease since then, continuing with official state duties in private.
He was well enough to greet well-wishers after an Easter church service at the end of March.
Although his diary will be carefully managed to minimise any risks to his health, the Palace said he might attend some annual events such as the Trooping the Colour military parade in June, as well as commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings, also in June.
Charles’ illness came less than 18 months after he succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
His nephew, Peter Phillips, has said the monarch, who is renowned for hard work, has found the limitations imposed by his treatment frustrating.
Also absent has been Charles’ daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wife of his son and heir Prince William, who is undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests in the wake of major abdominal surgery revealed cancer had been present. – April 30, 2024