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31st Mar 2024

King Charles to return to public duties with appearance at Easter Sunday service

Ryan Price

The King will greet the public for the first time following his cancer diagnosis.

King Charles will make a return to his public duties later today with an appearance at Easter Sunday service at George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The 75-year-old was diagnosed with a form of cancer back in January, and has been undergoing treatment since February.

The palace has not confirmed what type of cancer it is or the prognosis, but in a statement released last month, said the King “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”.

The statement added that the King has chosen to go public with his cancer diagnosis “to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

Now, The Telegraph has revealed that the King will be in attendance at church today, but will not host lunch afterwards like he usually does.

He plans to walk to and from George’s Chapel, in what Hannah Furness at The Telegraph has described as a ‘gentle return’ to his royal duties with some modifications.

She also revealed that the King will sit slightly apart from the rest of the congregation and aims to wave and greet people gathered outside from a distance.

Charles will bne joined by Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family for the annual event.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will not attend, as Catherine continues her cancer treatment.

The Princess announced her cancer diagnosis in a video posted to the The Prince and Princess of Wales Twitter account just over a week ago.

During the video, Kate revealed that the cancer was discovered following major abdominal surgery on January 14.

Middleton stressed that she was well and hopeful of making a “full recovery” while also requesting that her and the family’s privacy is respected at this difficult time.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both,” the Princess continued.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.”

King Charles’s attendance at church will be seen as a move to reassure the public after the shock news about his daughter-in-law.

Last year marked the King’s first Easter Sunday service as monarch. The family was colour-coordinated in shades of blue, with Charles and Camilla also wearing dark blue outfits.

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