King Charles was back at work this week after he had to head into the hospital for a brief visit at the end of last month.
As we mentioned, he’d experienced “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment last Thursday and, out of an abundance of caution, he decided to cancel his engagements the next day.
The 76-year-old monarch headed to his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire to spend the weekend privately, according to multiple British media outlets, but he was seen waving to crowds as he left his London residence – Clarence House – last Friday morning.
After a few days of downtime, Charles returned to public engagements, hosting an investiture ceremony on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, with reigning world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson among those being honored.
Speaking after receiving an MBE for services to athletics, Johnson-Thompson said the pair had spoken about how sport can impact the body, adding that Charles “seemed in good spirits” and she was “happy to see that he's fit and well,” according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.
The King had further events on Thursday (more on that in a moment) and of course, in a few days, he and Camilla will be heading to Italy for their state visit.
A palace source had described last week’s experience as “the most minor bump in the road that’s very much heading in the right direction.” And by the look of the King’s diary this week, it appears he’s certainly bounced back after taking a weekend off.
On Thursday, Charles received the High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Betty Palaso (pictured above), during an audience at Buckingham Palace.
He also met community members from PNG to celebrate the island country's 50th anniversary of independence.
During the event, the King met staff and volunteers from the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a humanitarian charity that provides critical aid to many low-income countries, including PNG.
The organization, which was marking its 80th anniversary, is thought to be the largest humanitarian air operator in the world and runs a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, helping to deliver food and medical supplies, among other things, to countries in need.
The King unveiled a new aircraft during the engagement in northwest London, which will be used by the charity group to deliver aid to PNG, according to Buckingham Palace.
Later on Thursday, Charles joined the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at Windsor Castle to celebrate grassroots music groups across the UK, the palace said.
The reception’s 350 guests were treated to performances from London’s Gay Men’s Chorus, the Royal College of Music and British saxophonist YolanDa Brown, after which Charles met performers and other guests.
Meanwhile, here’s a wrap of the rest of the royal happenings this week:
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Camilla marks anniversary of domestic abuse charity.
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Queen Camilla hosted a reception at Clarence House on Tuesday to mark the 21st anniversary of domestic violence charity SafeLives. Camilla, who has been patron of the organization since 2020 and has previously vowed to eradicate domestic abuse, welcomed around 100 guests to the royal residence, where she cut a cake to mark the charity’s birthday. During the reception, the Queen spoke with the parents of murdered schoolgirl Holly Newton, who was 15 when she was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 2023. Holly’s mother Micala Trussler said that Camilla was “very interested in our campaign and she’s sorry for our loss and that we shouldn’t have to be here doing this,” according to PA Media. Later, during a short speech, Camilla described herself as a “proud patron” of SafeLives while paying tribute to the charity, saying “it’s touched so many people and it’s saved so many lives.”
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Prince Harry relieved by news of Sentebale investigation.
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Prince Harry said on Thursday he was relieved by the news that the UK’s charity watchdog has opened a case into Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in 2006 in honor of his mother, Princess Diana. The watchdog said it had opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity earlier on Thursday, which could result in an official warning, or a statutory inquiry being opened, according to PA Media. “What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal,” Harry said in a statement.
On Sunday, Sophie Chandauka, Sentebale’s chairwoman, accused the prince of “harassment and bullying at scale” in a TV interview, after he and others involved with the charity quit last week. Chandauka said the Duke of Sussex unleashed “the Sussex (PR) machine” on her last month when he publicly quit as a patron of the charity, along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees. Find out more about this story here.
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Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale/File |
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Queen Camilla was snapped posing next to a sculpture of a large, decorated egg on Tuesday outside the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The “Green Humpty Dumpty Egg” was painted by British artist Alice Shirley and commissioned by Camilla and King Charles in support of the conservation organization Elephant Family, which is running a charity “egg hunt” across London this April. Princess Eugenie, niece of King Charles III, also voiced her support for the charity egg hunt, calling it a “wonderful celebration of art and a reminder about nurturing the incredible animals that share our planet,” according to the charity’s website.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s range of sweet treats from her recently relaunched lifestyle brand, As Ever, sold out within an hour of going on sale. After February’s relaunch, Meghan began promoting several confectionery items including wildflower honey, flower sprinkles and raspberry spread in “keepsake” packaging, all of which were snapped up by customers within minutes, according to PA Media. Luckily, customers who weren’t fast enough to get their hands on a jar of Meghan’s produce can choose to “get notified” when the items come back in stock.
The speedy sales follow the news that the duchess’ glossy lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” which follows her life as a hostess, cook and homemaker, has been renewed for a second season, set to premiere in the fall. The series was renewed despite several highly critical reviews in both Britain and the United States. |
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Prince William’s Earthshot Prize Awards will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November. The location for the fifth annual prize – an ambitious environmental initiative founded by the prince in 2020 – was announced in a video featuring soccer greats David Beckham and Cafu, plus Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett. “As we bring The Earthshot Prize to Brazil, a nation rich in biodiversity and environmental innovation, we are seeing fresh momentum for new ideas to create healthier and safer ways to live our lives,” William said in a statement. At the awards ceremony, five groups will win £1 million (around $1.3 million) each to support and scale up their green innovations.
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"This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognise how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life. C."
– Catherine, Princess of Wales
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The Princess of Wales said on Sunday that nature has been her family’s sanctuary over the past year, while marking Mother’s Day in the UK. Her comments were made on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official X account alongside a short video showing a misty mountain landscape, crashing waves and other idyllic scenes.
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