Royal fans were left concerned on Friday night when a rare announcement from Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles was forced to cancel several engagements following a “brief” visit to hospital.
© Getty ImagesThe 76-year-old experienced temporary side effects from his cancer treatment, which has been ongoing since early last year.
He was due to appear in Birmingham on Friday but will be prioritising rest and recovery, departing his London residence Clarence House on Friday morning to work from home in Gloucestershire at Highgrove House.
While it has been made clear that the King’s recovery from his illness is progressing as expected and that incidents like this are expected, royal watchers have been united in sharing their concern for the king and wishes for him to recover.
Comments via social media expressed a unanimous wish that the King “take it easy” and not return to public duties sooner than he is able.
“His Majesty must take it easy and get better, we pray for him and wish him well. At this point him getting better is the most important thing,” while another sympathised with his condition.
“It must be exhausting dealing with both the illness and the treatment. It’s tough to see people going through it, especially at his age.” They added: “I hope he’s got good people around him and is taking it easy.”
King Charles’ support system
© Paul Marriott/ShutterstockPrincess Anne made up part of the King’s support system as she visited her brother on Friday morning just before he departed for Highgrove.
Reflecting on their close sibling bond, HELLO!’s Online Royal correspondent Danielle Stacey tells us: “The Princess Royal has always been a dedicated and hardworking member of the British monarchy, but purely from an observer’s point of view, it seems like her relationship with the King has deepened.
“Anne was given a starring role as the King’s Gold Stick-in-Waiting at his coronation and was seen greeting newly-crowned Charles back at Buckingham Palace with the words ‘Hello, old bean’. Despite having a heavy workload of her own, Anne has increased her engagements in recent months to support her brother and the Princess of Wales as they continue their respective cancer treatments.”
A statement from Buckingham Palace announcing the news read: “Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed.”
Royal sources described the setback as a “minor bump in the road”.
© Getty ImagesWell-wishers outside the palace on Friday morning were delighted to see King Charles waving, and one tourist Julian Mati, 34, was especially delighted.
“We were horrified when we heard the news yesterday. We had come down to the palace today to take pictures but we never imagined we would see the King.
“To see him smiling and waving, it’s such a relief.”
