The King has been seen in public for the first time since his short hospital visit.
The monarch, 76, waved at well-wishers while leaving Clarence House in London in a car this morning. It is understood he was going to his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.
It comes after he cancelled his Friday engagements due to “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment.
Buckingham Palace said after “scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer” on Thursday, the King “experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital”.
The King revealed in February 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning treatment.
He returned to public duties in April last year and sources suggested in December his treatment would continue in 2025 and was “moving in a positive direction”.
It was described as a “most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction”, the Press Association said, quoting a source.
The King visited the London Clinic on Thursday morning and travelled to and from the hospital by car. He was not joined by the Queen during his brief stay.
Royal correspondent
This news was unexpected, even though we’ve known the King is still undergoing treatment for his cancer.
It is also unusual for the King to cancel engagements, especially a day in Birmingham which will have been meticulously planned.
That said, the palace was keen to stress he should be back to work as normal next week, and there was no sense this will have any effect on the upcoming state visit to Italy.
The King enjoys his work and won’t be happy letting people down. Some have said his work is what has helped keep him going through his diagnosis.
Aides called it a “bump in the road” and that overall the King’s progress is heading in the right direction.
But the fact they decided to make this announcement shows it was of some concern.
It is also a reminder he remains a cancer patient, and with that, facing all the uncertainty and unpredictability the disease can present.
Tourist Julian Mati, 34, said it was a “relief” to see the King looking well, admitting he was “horrified when we heard the news yesterday.
“We had come down to the palace today to take pictures, but we never imagined we would see the King. To see him smiling and waving, it’s such a relief.”
In its statement, the palace added that the King “would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result [of his cancelled appointments].”
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On Wednesday, the King had a typically busy day of activities. He was at London’s Somerset House, where he unveiled a plaque, before hosting a reception at Buckingham Palace in the evening.
Last week, the royals also made a three-day visit to Northern Ireland.
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