King Charles will resume public engagements next week after making encouraging progress in his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace has announced, as quoted by the BBC.
It will not yet be a full return to official engagements for the king, but the palace is sending positive signals.
The King will start next Tuesday with a symbolic trip to a cancer treatment center.
His summer plans include a state visit where he will host the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
In the coming weeks, the palace said, he will undertake several foreign engagements.
The king is said to be “very encouraged” to return to more public events.
It is a message of cautious optimism, but the king’s treatment – which began in February – continues and no date has been given for its completion.
Buckingham Palace provided the update on the king’s return to public duties and his condition in a statement released on Friday.
“It is too early to say” how long his treatment will continue, the palace said.
It added that doctors were “very encouraged by the progress to date and remain positive about the continued recovery of the King”.
The type of cancer was not disclosed, but the king’s medical team is “sufficiently satisfied with the progress to date for the king to resume a number of public duties.”
A photograph of the King and Queen Camilla, taken earlier this month in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, has also been released.
It remains uncertain whether he will attend some of the big events in the calendar, such as Trooping the Colour, D-Day commemorations, summer garden parties, Royal Ascot and overseas trips in the autumn.
Decisions will be made based on the advice of doctors closer to the right moment, the palace states.
But he added that it would not be a “full summer schedule.”
The king has been absent from regular royal public engagements since a procedure for an enlarged prostate and his subsequent cancer diagnosis announced in February,
Next week’s trip to a cancer treatment center will be made with Queen Camilla and he will meet patients and staff and show his support for cancer research.
Although he has been conducting his private work as head of state, including regular meetings with the prime minister, this visit will be his first official public engagement this year.
At an Easter Sunday service in Windsor, he surprised the crowd by greeting well-wishers and shaking people’s hands.
At the end of June, the King will receive the Emperor and Empress of Japan as Head of State – Japan’s first official state visit since 1998.
The highlights of such visits usually include a state banquet at Buckingham Palace and a carriage parade, but there may be adjustments to this visit depending on the king’s condition.
The royal family has had a difficult start to the year, with the Princess of Wales also undergoing cancer treatment.
They have also faced intense public scrutiny and speculation on social media, and the palace will be hoping this more positive news draws a line under what has been a difficult time for the royal family.
Since being diagnosed with cancer, the King has spoken of how touched he has been by all the messages and congratulations wishing him a speedy recovery, appearing to particularly enjoy some of the funniest cards.
On Friday, Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen “remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and well wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year”.
Tags: King Charles resume public duties progress cancer treatment
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