King Charles III was left surprised when his niece Zara Tindall broke the rigid royal protocol and threw her arms around him during a sweet reunion.
During the unprecedented move Tindall was overheard gushing “Ah Uncle Charles” as the pair hugged on Friday, May 3.
Horse enthusiast Tindall beamed as she spoke to her uncle at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Berkshire, England during what was his third engagement of the week.
Tindall’s mother, Princess Anne, made the decision not to give her and her older brother Peter Phillips HRH titles when they were born because she wanted to give them an easier childhood.
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Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, welcomed Zara in 1981 and Peter in 1977 with her first husband, Mark Phillips.
Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, as were Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, who have been dubbed the “chosen couple” amid Charles’ health battle.
Charles was present for the third day of the eventM just three days after he visited hospital patients in London on his return to public-facing royal duties.
The king’s surprise appearance is during his ongoing cancer treatment. At yesterday’s event he looked in his element as laughed and spoke to officials while standing under an umbrella in the rain.
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On April 30, he offered a brief health update during his return to public duties when he and Queen Camilla visited a cancer treatment center and met with patients.
Discussing his own diagnosis, the king said the news was a “bit of a shock” at first, according to multiple U.K. outlets.
When one patient asked how he’s been doing, Charles replied, “Not too bad,” revealing that he was set to undergo “treatment this afternoon as well.”
It was announced in February that Charles was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered after a planned prostate treatment. He has since been named Cancer Research UK’s newest patron.
