King Charles III made his first return to public duties since announcing his cancer diagnosis with a visit to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London on Tuesday , the first in a series of public appearances he’s scheduled to make in the coming weeks.
The visit to a cancer charity marked a return to formal engagements after Buckingham Palace first announced in February he would take a break from public duties to be treated for an undisclosed type of cancer.
The King has been named as the new patron of Cancer Research UK and has expressed a desire to continue raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis, according to the BBC—the royal family has long been involved with a number of cancer charities in the UK..
The royal family in February announced Charles had been diagnosed with cancer after a hospital stay to be treated for an enlarged prostate. Buckingham Palace did not specify what type or stage of cancer the king has. BBC on Tuesday reported his doctors are “very encouraged by the progress made so far.”
Charles made his first major public appearance since the diagnosis with a church service on Easter Sunday. One month after the king announced his diagnosis, Kate Middleton announced she is also in the early stages of chemotherapy treatment.
The Princess of Wales confirmed in a video in late March that doctors found cancer after she underwent an abdominal surgery earlier this year. Like Charles, she did not disclose the type of cancer or severity. She has been out of the public eye since January.
This led to 16,410 people to visit the National Health Service in England’s informational web page on prostate enlargement the day after King Charles announced he would undergo a procedure to treat the condition.
The public schedule for Charles is expected to pick up in the coming weeks ahead of a state visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan in late June, but it is unclear what traditional summer events—like the Trooping the Colour and the Chelsea Flower Show—he will attend.
by Mary Whitfill Roeloffs of
Forbes Magazine