King Charles III left his London residence smiling on Tuesday, in his first appearance since the announcement a day earlier about cancer, which, according to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was “detected early.”
The king, 75, and his wife, Queen Camilla, 76, who had just received a brief visit from the king’s second son, Henry, who had just arrived from the United States, waved with a smile to the crowd from the back seat of the car. .
According to British news agency PA, the monarchs will have to travel from their London home at Clarence House to nearby Buckingham Palace to board a helicopter and travel to their residence in Sandringham, in the east of England.
Prince Harry, 39, who has had tense relations with his father and the rest of the royal family since he left to live in the United States in 2020, landed hours earlier at London’s Heathrow airport.
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After 17 months on the throne, Charles III, who received his first treatment on Monday, will be absent from public life indefinitely.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wanted to convey a message of calm regarding the king’s health and assured the BBC that the monarch’s cancer was “detected early.”
“Of course, I keep in touch regularly [con el rey] and I will continue to communicate with him as usual,” added the conservative leader who continues to have weekly conversations with Carlos III.
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Although the exact nature and severity of the disease have not yet been determined, Buckingham Palace reported that it was not prostate cancer, the organ for which he underwent surgery on January 26.
The king assured that he was “very optimistic” about his treatment and said that he would continue to oversee “state affairs and administrative duties” related to his role as Head of State of 15 countries, including the UK.
Although he has been resting due to prostate surgery, his absence from public life is likely to be longer than expected and will take away public attention from a monarch who has been very active since ascending the throne, making numerous visits and trips abroad. .
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“We were surprised because the king really started off strong, he went to France, to Germany, and we expected this to happen a long time ago,” Sue Hazell, who came to visit from northern England with her husband, said.
The disease has once again plunged the monarchy into uncertainty a year and a half after Elizabeth II’s shock death at the age of 96 and after more than 70 years of reign.
Additionally, one of the royal family’s most beloved figures, Princess Catherine, wife of Prince William, has been recovering for days from mysterious stomach surgery in mid-January that left her hospitalized for almost two weeks.
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Catalina, 42, has not appeared in public since Christmas and her return is not scheduled until Easter, at the end of March.
Therefore, in the absence of the monarch in public appearances, this role would suit Queen Camilla and William, the 41-year-old crown prince.
Shortly before the king’s cancer announcement, William announced that he would resume his public activities on Wednesday, which he had postponed to stay with his wife Catherine after her operation.
The arrival of his brother, Prince Harry, in London, has raised new hopes of reconciliation between the Duke of Sussex, who broke with the monarchy in 2020, and the rest of the family, especially William.
According to British media, Harry arrived in London alone, without his wife Meghan or his two children, Archie and Lilibet, as he did at the coronation last May.
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