Good news on the royal medical front. Finally.
King Charles III is restarting public-facing engagements for the first time since early January. But there are some important caveats to that announcement.
Looking at the Queen’s smile in the photo that accompanied the press release was enough to signal that the news was good. And sure enough, Buckingham Palace announced that “His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis.”
The announcement came a day after the Daily Beast published an extremely pessimistic piece on the monarch’s health. “It’s not good,” the Beast quotes friends of the king regarding his health in the piece, which is titled titled “King Charles’ funeral Plans Dusted Off as His Health Remains a Mystery.”
That same day, word spread of an impending announcement from the palace. Given that the previous month, a 6 p.m. royal announcement was how Kate revealed she’s undergoing preventative chemotherapy, it’s fair to say that many were on edge, even after quiet assurances that the news would be positive and future-looking.
Next Tuesday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit a cancer treatment centre to meet patients and medical specialists. It’s the first time that the monarch will go attend such a public engagement since being diagnosed with an enlarged prostate in January that resulted in surgery and the subsequent discovery of cancer (the type has never been revealed, and the palace asks everyone not to speculate on such private health matters). Since then, he’s kept working in royal residences, doing official paperwork, having audiences with his prime minister, and undertaking meetings and audiences with officials and diplomats.
Not all the news is good
The news that the King is resuming public engagements came with huge caveats: he hasn’t been given a clean bill of health and is still being treated for cancer. A palace spokesperson stated:
“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. Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimize any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
Furthermore, there’s no timeline for how long that cancer treatment will continue, though the palace stated that his “medical team are very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery.”
The pacing of the King’s program will be “carefully calibrated.”
Still, the fact that his doctors gave him the all-clear to resume public-facing duties is a huge step, especially in a family that has been rocked by a succession of medical diagnoses this year.
“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,” said a palace spokesperson. And with the announcement came a new image of Charles and Camilla, taken in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on April 10, the day after their 19th wedding anniversary. Their smiles and obvious happiness signals perhaps a beginning to an end of a tough few months.
But wait, that’s not all …
Buckingham Palace super-sized the announcement for maximum effect by also revealing that the Emperor and Empress of Japan are coming to London for a state visit in late June. Their planned 2020 visit was postponed because of the pandemic, though they came to London in 2022 on their first overseas trip since the Emperor’s enthronement to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Though state visits are glittering and formal events (Tiara alert! — PT), the King’s attendance is not a sure thing as he’ll still be under the care of his doctors, who may tweak their advice as to what he can do or not do closer to the visit.
What about Trooping the Colour and the other big royal events of 2024?
The royal calendar for 2024 includes:
May 8 & 21: Garden parties at Buckingham Palace
June 6: 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6
June 15: Trooping the Colour
June 17: Order of the Garter installation, procession, service
June 18-22: Royal Ascot
Autumn: foreign tours, plus the Commonwealth leaders summit in Samoa
The palace warns that the king’s schedule won’t return to his usual hectic pace any time soon: “It will not be a full summer season.” As such, planning will continue but decisions about the need for adaptations or even cancellations will be made closer to the events “where necessary to minimize any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
Keeping the monarch healthy is always a top concern for palace officials. As Martin Charteris, the private secretary of Queen Elizabeth II, said during the planning for the Silver Jubilee in 1977: “You must not bore the public. You must not kill the Queen.”
If there’s one date that is sure to be noted in some fashion, it’s the first anniversary of the coronation on May 6, which was specifically noted in the palace announcement: “As the first anniversary of the Coronation approaches, Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.