King Charles has made his most significant appearance yet since announcing he is receiving treatment for cancer by leading the royals at their annual Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle today
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King Charles greets wellwishers after Easter Sunday service
A cheery King Charles made a surprise move at the end of the royals’ traditional Easter service today and was urged to “keep going strong” amid cancer treatment before joking “I’m doing my best”.
The monarch, along with Queen Camilla and several other of his royal relatives, made his most significant appearance yet since his cancer news by attending the annual Easter Sunday church service at St George’s Chapel this morning – and at the end of the event did a surprise walkabout, greeting the small number of wellwishers who had gathered inside Windsor Castle.
Earlier, the King beamed and waved to the small crowd as he and Camilla, in a green coat dress by Anna Valentine and a Philip Treacy hat, arrived for the service by car. Arriving minutes beforehand were Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Prince Andrew and surprisingly his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, and their son James, the Earl of Wessex.
The King, wearing a dark coat and blue tie, smiled and waved at members of the public outside St George’s Chapel. One person shouted “Happy Easter”, to which Charles gestured with his arm and responded: “And to you.”
He also spotted Anne Daley, 65, from Cardiff who had travelled down by train to catch a glimpse of the King and was waving a Welsh flag. Gesturing to Camilla he said: “Look, she’s from Wales.” Ms Daley, a committed royalist, said afterwards: “I shouted back ‘yes, I’m from Wales and have come here especially to see you’. He looked absolutely marvellous, really well.” She added: “I wanted to show my support for King Charles and the Princess of Wales who we are all wishing well. We want to show them that we miss them, Wales misses her. She may not be here but she is not forgotten.”
As is customary, the King sat inside the chapel in the Sovereign’s Seat which is situated at the front of the altar, along with his family who were in their usual places in the stalls. The layout of St George’s Chapel is such that the main congregation sits in a separate section of the church.
Afterwards, the King was applauded by members of the public as he left St George’s Chapel. The service concluded around 11:45am before Charles and the Queen re-emerged from the chapel to cries of “Happy Easter”. Camilla was presented with a posy of white and yellow flowers by a young boy. And in a surprise, the King went over to where a small crowd had been allowed to gather and was seen accepting get well cards as well as shaking hands, with one wellwisher telling him: “We are all behind you.” One man added: “Happy Easter Your Majesty. Keep going strong.”
Another member of the public told Charles on Sunday: “We’re all rooting for you, we’ve all got your back.” The King shook hands and spoke with those who had gathered at Windsor and told them: “You’re very brave to stand out here in the cold.”
A palace source said: “Today was a significant step. As can be seen, the King has responded to treatment very encouragingly over past weeks and his doctors were thus able to adjust their guidance slightly on what His Majesty is now able to undertake, including attendance at the Easter service and greeting wellwishers who had kindly turned out to show their support.”
The source continued: “His Majesty’s treatment continues and caution is of course the watchword, but as diary plans are evolved towards summer, we hope to see more of these carefully-calibrated steps towards the resumption of some public facing duties for The King, with adjustments made where necessary.
“Nothing will be confirmed until nearer the time, plans remain in flux and are subject to medical guidance, but there is great hope and optimism from both doctors and the patient.
“While the King has of course been undertaking all his official duties in private, and has been photographed at a number of smaller Palace engagements, hopefully his attendance at Easter Sunday has offered wider public reassurance that His Majesty is doing well and that the the road ahead is looking very positive.”
The King’s treatment for cancer was announced at the start of February, but he has been carrying out low-key official duties behind palace walls. It is also believed this is why there is a much smaller gathering of royals at this year’s service as he has paused public-facing duties during his treatment.
On Thursday, Camilla carried out the royal Easter tradition of handing out Maundy Money to pensioners at Worcester Cathedral as in place of her husband, however, a special audio message from the King was played. With the head of state and the future Queen both receiving treatment for cancer the royal family faces an uncertain period.
But the monarchy is expected to rally around to support those at the heart of the institution. A royal source previously told the Mirror: “The King has been keeping in touch with the Princess of Wales from the moment she was admitted to hospital in January and throughout her current cancer treatment.
“He is utterly determined to put on a show of unity for his family and reassure the public and wider world that the monarchy is stable, despite the current tumultuous period it is experiencing.”
Charles has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since early February after he was treated for an enlarged prostate at the same hospital where Kate had abdominal surgery. William, Kate and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, did not attend the service today in the wake of Kate’s cancer diagnosis. The Wales family are spending the Easter holidays together as they adjust to Kate’s diagnosis, which was discovered in post-operative tests following her major abdominal surgery.
In an emotional video message last week, Kate spoke about the “huge shock” after tests identified cancer following the surgery and the “incredibly tough couple of months” her family have experienced, with her voice cracking with emotion at times during the footage.
Charles is said to be ‘proud’ of his ‘beloved’ daughter-in-law for her ‘courage’ in speaking about her treatment and has remained in close contact during the past few weeks. Words of support also came from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
The form of cancer has not been disclosed but the future Queen began a course of preventative chemotherapy late in February, and is said to have a positive mindset for her recovery and is in good spirits, describing herself as “well and getting stronger every day”.
