London: Britain’s King Charles III was on February 6 seen in public for the first time since his cancer diagnosis was made public a day before. He was photographed leaving his residence near Buckingham Palace, with the Press Association news agency reporting he was “believed to be preparing to travel by helicopter to Sandringham”, a royal residence in eastern England.
Charles greeted and acknowledged passers-by with a smile and a wave as he was chauffeured from his residence at Clarence House in central London to Buckingham Palace on February 6 afternoon.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace stated that Charles, who has been reigning for less than 18 months following the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth, has been diagnosed with the illness. Consequently, he will defer his public commitments to undergo treatment.
The palace has indicated that the king maintains a “wholly positive” outlook, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously remarked that the cancer had been detected early. “All our thoughts are with him and his family. You know, thankfully, this has been caught early,” Sunak told BBC radio, saying he had been “shocked and sad” at the news.
Despite the diagnosis, Charles intends to proceed with many of his private duties as monarch, such as his weekly meetings with the prime minister and handling state documents. Sunak noted that he maintains regular communication with the king.
The cancer was detected during Charles’ three-night hospital stay last month, during which he underwent a corrective procedure for a benign enlarged prostate. Although the palace confirmed it was not prostate cancer, no further details have been provided.
