King Charles of England has returned to public duties after he was diagnosed with cancer in February of this year. An official statement last Friday from Buckingham Palace said that the 75-year-old King’s doctors were “sufficiently pleased” with the monarch’s response to the treatment he underwent for the undisclosed form of cancer which afflicts him.
The King will now resume at least some of his public-facing appearances. The first of these was a Monday goodwill visit to a cancer treatment center, where he met medical specialists and patients.
The King and wife, Queen Camilla, have a full schedule brewing for them. In late June they will be hosting a state visit by Emperor Naruhito of Japan and his wife Empress Masako, according to another Palace announcement.
The public was made aware in January that Charles’s health had taken a turn from the worse, when he was admitted to a hospital for surgery to correct an enlarged-but-benign prostate.
The Palace then announced, the following month, that medical tests conducted during that hospital say had revealed “a form of cancer” was present in the King’s body, but the Palace furnished no details beyond confirming that this cancer did not involve the King’s prostate.
Since then, Charles has spend his time resting and receiving treatment for his condition, and has continued those official state duties which he can carry out in private. His one public event during this period was a meet-and-greet for well-wishers following an Easter service at the end of March.
Going forward, the King’s schedule will be carefully managed so as to protect his health, however the Palace has indicated that he may attend some traditional annual events, such as a military parade in June known as “Trooping the Colour,” as well as eightieth-anniversary commemorative events for the World War 2 D-Day landings (also in June).
Charles’s cancer came to public awareness less than a year and a half after he succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, following her death.
