Despite his ongoing cancer battle, King Charles III maintained a key tradition during the 2024 Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday, June 15, appearing alongside other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The monarch, 75, stood beside wife Queen Camilla to watch a flypast performed by the Royal Air Force after the annual parade that took place earlier in the day. The event marked Charles’ most publicized appearance since announcing his cancer diagnosis. Charles and Camilla, 76, were joined by his son Prince William, Princess Kate Middleton and their three kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 5. The king frequently chatted to Kate, 42, who is also battling a form of cancer, throughout the occasion.
Charles’ siblings Prince Edward and Princess Anne were also present on the balcony, as were their respective spouses. Edward and Duchess Sophie‘s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, made an appearance as well.
Slight modifications were made to Trooping the Colour due to Charles’ condition. Although he rode on horseback alongside the military during the parade in 2023, which was his first time attending the ceremony as king, he opted to make the journey from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards in a carriage this year.
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“We already know at this stage that the king had hoped to ride on horseback as was tradition,” royal historian Gareth Russell exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, June 10. “But his doctors have been quite clear given his ongoing cancer treatment, it’d be better if he was in a carriage.”
The palace announced in February that Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer after undergoing a procedure for benign prostate enlargement the previous month. Per a statement at the time, Charles had “commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he [was] advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.” As he stepped back from the spotlight, Charles carried on with state business and official paperwork behind the scenes.
Two months later, the palace confirmed in April that Charles would resume his official engagements, adding that his medical team was “encouraged by the progress” he had made and remained “positive” about his treatments.
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“Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimize any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery,” the statement continued. “The pacing of the king’s program will be carefully calibrated as his recovery continues, in close consultation with his medical team.”
During his first public outing since his diagnosis, Charles and Queen Camilla visited a cancer treatment center in April. While talking with patients, Charles confessed that his health news came as a “bit of a shock” at first, but he assured well-wishers that he was doing “not too bad” amid his recovery.
Charles is not the only royal family member battling cancer. Princess Kate Middleton confirmed her own diagnosis in March, though she has not returned to her public duties since she began receiving chemotherapy treatments.
