King Charles is planning a ‘full programme’ of overseas tours next year following a new vote of confidence in his health from his doctors.
The monarch, 75, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is said to have felt ‘lifted’ by his trip to and Samoa, where he carried out up to ten engagements a day.
And sources close to Charles, who paused treatment to undertake the 30,000-mile, 11-day round-trip, have explained it was all part of his ‘mind, body and soul’ approach to his cancer battle.
This attitude is one reason, they say, he has insisted on continuing his work since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in February, despite the gruelling physical toll of his illness.
Aides say Charles has allowed his doctors to concentrate on healing his body, while he has focused on his mental strength in dealing with such a ‘striking’ and unexpected blow, determined to keep his mind ‘in the right state’.
They also revealed:
The positive health news comes as Charles and Camilla concluded their trip by hosting a ‘King’s Dinner’ for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, followed by a visit to a village to thank locals for their hospitality.
Buckingham Palace also issued new photos of the royal couple enjoying a beach walk, looking joyful and relaxed.
When the possibility of undertaking a tour within just eight months of being diagnosed with cancer was first raised earlier this year, staff were not sure how the King would react. Typically, however, they said the answer wasn’t ‘how dare you?’ but ‘why can’t I do New Zealand as well?’ A source said: ‘He didn’t even hesitate. We had to hold him back.’
A palace official said yesterday: ‘It’s great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so.’
As for the volume of engagements he took on each day, despite his evenings being kept free to recuperate, they made clear he had been bouyed by the challenge.
‘It is a great measure of the way the King is dealing with the diagnosis,’ they said. ‘He’s a great believer in mind, body and soul.
‘It is hard to overstate the joy he takes from duty and service and being in public and seeing those crowds. That really lifts the spirits. You can see that.’
Aides have told this newspaper about the deep concerns privately expressed about how the King’s visit to , the first to any of his realms as monarch, would be greeted. ‘There was a lot to play for, it was massively important to us,’ they added. ‘A new King, a new reign and a new world.’
Having Camilla, 77, with him, helped immeasurably. A senior royal aide described the couple as a ‘remarkable unit’, adding: ‘The King gets great strength from the Queen being there, not least because she keeps it real.’
Charles was so buoyed by the past week – as were his doctors – that he is looking at a return to normality next year. ‘We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year,’ a senior royal official said, suggesting that the traditional spring and autumn tours will be back on the cards. Canada is likely to be high on their list. Of course, every decision made will be subject to discussion with the government, his ongoing treatment – the duration of which has not been revealed – and, ultimately, a sign-off by his doctors.
But sources say the future is ‘bright’, which could not always be said to have been the case after the King was diagnosed earlier this year.
After the initial shock of such a ‘striking’ diagnosis, he realised ‘in a heartbeat’ how much he had in common with so many millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth.
It’s been a huge source of strength, they say, for him to talk to others about their shared experiences. And he hopes others have taken comfort from the fact that even ‘a king can get cancer’.