London:

Prince William has described the past year in which his wife Catherine and his father, Britain’s head of state King Charles III, each battled cancer as “brutal” and probably the “hardest” of his life.

The heir to the British throne was speaking to reporters on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to South Africa for his Earthshot prize initiative.

Buckingham Palace in February announced that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer and would withdraw from public life to undergo treatment.

The following month his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, revealed that she too had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.

“Honestly, it’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” William said.

“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”

Both Charles and Catherine have since made limited returns to public duties, although Charles is still undergoing treatment.

Catherine said in September that she had completed her chemotherapy and was looking forward to undertaking more engagements “when I can”.

“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” William added.

“But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal,” he said.

This year’s awards ceremony for William’s Earthshot prize was held in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The initiative honours projects seeking novel solutions to the challenges facing the world’s nature and climate.

William is also committed to a five-year programme, Homewards, launched by his philanthropic foundation to tackle homelessness in the UK.

When told he appeared relaxed, William said he “couldn’t be less relaxed this year”.

“It’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going,” he said.

“I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself, and keeping sure that I have got time for my family too,” he added.

In addition to health problems, the royal family has this year faced continuing tensions surrounding William’s estranged brother Harry.

Harry’s ties with his family have been increasingly fraught since he and wife Meghan quit royal life and moved to California in 2020.

William and Harry used to be close — a bond that was forged with the death of their mother Princess Diana in 1997. But according to British media reports, they have not spoken to each other in two years.

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King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis will not prevent him flying abroad next year for foreign visits, a Buckingham Palace official said, as the monarch wrapped up a tour of Australia and Samoa.

“We’re now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms,” the official said late Saturday.

King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer earlier this year but doctors agreed he could pause his treatment to allow him to travel to Australia and Samoa.

The palace announced in April that he would make a limited return to public duties, as doctors were “very encouraged” by his progress.

The official added that the king had “thrived” on the tour’s programme which had lifted “his spirits, his mood and his recovery”.

“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” he added.

The tour was King Charles’ first to Australia, where he is also head of state, since he became king following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

King Charles and Queen Camilla left Samoa Saturday after the marathon 11-day tour that saw the king carry out more than 30 engagements.

The royal couple visited Sydney, Canberra and the Samoan capital Apia, where King Charles attended a meeting of Commonwealth nations.

The 56-nation bloc — made up mostly of British ex-colonies — had hoped to focus on a future threatened by climate change, but instead bickered over a troubled past marked by slavery and colonisation.

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Britain’s King Charles III waves as he arrives for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, on April 30, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

King Charles III on April 30 reportedly told fellow cancer patients “I’m well”, as he carried out his first official public engagement since being diagnosed with the condition.

The British head of state appeared relaxed as he and his wife Queen Camilla met patients and staff at the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London.

He talked to patients receiving chemotherapy at a day unit, including 60-year-old Asha Millen, who has bone marrow cancer.

“I said, ‘How are you?’ and he said, ‘I’m well’,” she told reporters afterwards.

Another patient, Lesley Woodbridge, 63, said the king sympathised with her, and added: “I’ve got to have my treatment this afternoon as well.”

Charles, 75, suspended most of his duties in February after cancer was found while he was being treated for an enlarged prostate the previous month.

The exact nature of his cancer has not been disclosed but doctors said last week they were “very encouraged” by the progress of his treatment as an out-patient and “positive” about his recovery.

His daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, underwent abdominal surgery in January and said in March that she was receiving chemotherapy.

Again, no details were given about what type of cancer she has. Kate, as she is widely known, is married to Charles’s elder son and heir Prince William.

‘Positive’

Tuesday’s event was the first in a number of planned engagements in the coming weeks and designed to raise awareness of the importance of early cancer diagnosis and highlight innovative research, Buckingham Palace said.

Charles, who succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, was officially crowned king on May 6 last year.

He has been seen attending church services since his diagnosis and at selected audiences. He has also continued his official state business.

His treatment will continue but his schedule in the coming weeks will be reduced and subject to medical advice, a spokesperson added.

His engagements will include a state visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan in June.

The chief executive of University College London Hospitals group, David Probert, said Charles “deliberately went out of his way to meet as many staff and patients as he could”.

Patients were “delighted” to see him, he told Sky News, and described the visit as “incredibly uplifting”.

Members of the public last week welcomed the king’s return to some duties, praising him for raising awareness about cancer, which will affect one in two people, according to Cancer Research UK.

‘Huge issue’

Probert said the king’s announcement had led to a surge in people looking up symptoms and seeking out treatment.

“It’s a huge issue in today’s society,” Keegan Gray, 23, a demolitions manager from New Zealand, told AFP on Friday.

“A lot of people have cancer and a lot of people they keep it to themselves, they’re a bit shy about it,” he added after the news Charles would resume some public duties.

Gray said it was “really beautiful” that the king was raising awareness of cancer and the work of treatment clinics.

Charles and Kate’s cancer diagnoses have created a headache for the royal family, with both having postponed public engagements.

William has also taken a step back to support his wife and their three young children, leaving fewer senior royals to fill the schedule.

Camilla, 76, has stepped in to take over many of her husband’s engagements. Charles’s sister Princess Anne and his youngest brother Prince Edward have also taken on more prominent roles.

Charles’s largely estranged younger son, Prince Harry, is no longer a working royal but is expected in London on May 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games for disabled military veterans.

He will then join his American wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria.

Britain’s King Charles will return to public duties next week for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer as he makes good progress following treatment and a period of recuperation, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

In February, the palace revealed that the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

Although King Charles continued with official state business, the diagnosis led him to postpone public engagements to begin treatment and rest.

“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,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

“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.”

Although it was too early to say how much longer his cancer treatment would last, the spokesperson said his doctors were “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the king’s continued recovery”.

No further details about his condition or his treatment were given, in line with the usual stance on medical privacy.

While pictured and filmed carrying out some official duties in private, King Charles’s only public appearance came last month when he greeted well-wishers in an impromptu walkabout after an Easter church service in Windsor, raising hopes that his health was improving.

Japanese Emperor Visit

To mark his return, he and his wife Queen Camilla will visit a cancer treatment centre in London next Tuesday, the palace said. It was also confirmed that the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, would pay a state visit in late June.

However, King Charles will not carry out his usual summer programme and his plans will be crafted in consultation with his medical team to minimise risks to recovery, the palace said.

The king’s absence has coincided with news that his daughter-in-law Kate, wife of his son and heir Prince William, was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests in the wake of major abdominal surgery revealed cancer had been present.

The Princess of Wales, often known by her maiden name Kate Middleton, will herself only return to public duties when her medical team say she is well enough to do so.

King Charles’s health scare came less than 18 months into his reign after he succeeded from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, and less than a year since his coronation, Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades.

“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,” Buckingham Palace said.

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King Charles III said on Monday that he would continue to serve “to the best of my ability” after his cancer diagnosis, saying he had been “deeply touched” by people’s wishes for his health.

The 75-year-old monarch, who became king in September 2022 after the death of his mother Elizabeth II, was admitted for surgery for a benign prostate condition in January but was subsequently diagnosed with an unrelated cancer.

He has postponed all public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment, but is continuing with behind-the-scenes work and has been holding some in-person meetings.

“In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health,” he said in a pre-recorded speech to mark the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

“In return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.”

King Charles’s wife, Queen Camilla, 76, and son Prince William, 41, have taken on most of the royal family’s duties in his absence.

Prince William’s wife, Princess Kate, 42, has also been absent from public life since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.

In his speech, King Charles praised the diversity of Commonwealth and urged member nations to work together to overcome climate and economic challenges facing the world.

“Whilst we may not all have a shared history, we have common ambitions for a better future — working together to build resilience and respond to global challenges,” the monarch said in a speech recorded at Windsor Castle in February.

“Our diversity means that these challenges affect us all differently and that we experience their impacts in different ways,” he said.

The Commonwealth, established in 1949, is home to one-third of the world’s population, with the majority of the 56 member states being former British colonies in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

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Britain’s King Charles will miss next week’s engagements to mark Commonwealth Day, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday, with his wife Queen Camilla stepping in for the monarch as he continues to undergo treatment for cancer.

King Charles, 75, has been forced to step away from public duties after it was announced last month he had been diagnosed with a unspecified form of cancer, less than 18 months into his reign.

As a result, the king, who is head of the Commonwealth of 56 countries that evolved from the British Empire, will be unable to attend the annual service of celebration at Westminster Abbey on Monday and a reception afterwards.

Queen Camilla will head the group of senior royals in attendance, which will include heir-to-the throne Prince William but not his wife Kate Middleton, who has also been absent from public life this year after having abdominal surgery for a non-cancer related ailment.

While King Charles is keeping up with his official state duties and was pictured on Tuesday meeting finance minister Jeremy Hunt a day before he gives his budget statement to parliament, it is not clear when he will return to his usual public role.

The absence of both the king and Kate Middleton, while Prince William missed an engagement last week because of an unspecified “personal matter”, has led to a surge of speculation and conspiracy theories on social media.

The British royals rarely release details of any medical conditions, regarding them as purely private matters, but the policy of maintaining a dignified silence on rumours is coming under pressure.

“The most cursory of glances at the rampant speculation on social media ought to ­persuade even the most unyielding of royal aides that wherever there is a vacuum ­surrounding a public figure, it will be filled,” royal expert Richard Kay wrote in the Daily Mail newspaper.

Kate Middleton’s office has said it would only provide “significant” updates on her condition, and that she was not expected to be back performing public duties until after Easter.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday she would be attending an annual military parade in June. However Kensington Palace is responsible for confirming her attendance at future events and has not yet done so.

It comes the day after US celebrity news site TMZ published what it said was the first picture of the Princess of Wales since her operation in January, sitting in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother near Windsor Castle.

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