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Despite postponing most public-facing duties while undergoing cancer treatment, King Charles has still been very visible and is often spotted being driven between his London home of Clarence House and Buckingham Palace
King Charles’ ‘delighted’ and ‘affectionate’ public gestures have signalled what he really thinks as he tries to remain visible during his cancer treatment, an expert says.
The monarch revealed in February he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and is now undergoing treatment. He is continuing his duties of state behind palace walls, but public-facing duties have been postponed for the time being. However, the head of state has remained visible to the public and for many weeks now has been seen in the State Bentley being driven between his London home of Clarence House and Buckingham Palace, where he carries out private meetings with the likes of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
In pictures snapped today and in previous weeks, during these short drives, the King appears happy and smiling and offers waves to the crowds of tourists. And despite these being short appearances, body language expert Judi James believes it shows there seems to be a “very new, blossoming love affair between Charles and his public since his cancer diagnosis”.
Judi explained to the Mirror: “Charles has never been a populist royal and at times the bonds between himself and the public have been at breaking point. Being the son of and husband to two of the world’s most famous and most adored women, Charles divorced Diana, upset his mother and married one of the world’s most controversial and, at one stage, most unpopular women.
“His childhood and younger years show the body language of a lonely, reflective and isolated-looking young man, surrounded by a confident alpha father and sister plus two much younger and much-adored siblings. He hated his school and as an adult, he tended to look unwilling and uncomfortable when pushed out to do walkabouts or pose for the press. Charles clearly had a desire to be popular and a love of the spotlight but he always lacked the warm empathetic skills that came easily to Diana.
“The public’s affection for Charles was never a given and he must have been aware of that fact, right up to and even after his Coronation. People were still mourning for his mother and many were still imagining Diana sitting on the throne as his Queen.
“Suddenly though, after showing his signals of grief at both his father and his mother’s deaths plus after his cancer diagnosis and his method of handling it with some degree of openness and honesty, Charles has shown himself in a much more human light. Once seen as a bit of a cold fish, he has shown emotions openly that everyone can identify with and it has probably been the nod that the public needed when it came to genuinely accepting him as King.”
Since his cancer diagnosis, Charles’ biggest public appearance was several weeks ago on Easter Sunday, when he attended a traditional church service and carried out a walkabout with wellwishers afterwards.
Judi added: “Charles must have been shown so much affection and support from the public recently and his body language has displayed both surprise and delight. At the Easter service he was only expected to smile and wave from the entrance to the church but his multiple waves on the way in suggested a reluctance to leave the crowds behind and when he came out again he made a beeline to those crowds to shake hands and joke and chat as though they were genuine friends.
“In the car here those signals of delight and affection are still on display. He appears almost tickled by the wave of support he is now getting and there are hints that it might be helping in terms of his current return to health.”
