King Charles III continues to make public appearances amid his cancer battle, including a recent showing at a memorial for his friend Sir John Chippendale “Chips” Lindley Keswick.
Charles, 75, was joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, at the Thursday, May 30, service at St. Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London. Other attendees included Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles, sister Annabel Elliot, and former soccer star Tony Adams.
The monarch sported a navy blue suit and tie, a white dress shirt and a checkered pocket handkerchief to pay his respects. Camilla, 76, wore a black long-sleeved dress with white detailing, seemingly the same one she wore to the Annual Commonwealth Day Reception in March. She completed her look with a black hat, bejeweled brooches and black leather gloves.
Sir Chips died at age 84 on April 17. The former Arsenal soccer club chairman was also honored at Thursday’s memorial by his widow, Lady Sarah Keswick, with whom he shares three sons. The pair have been friends with Charles and Camilla since the 1970s, according to Hello! magazine, and Lady Sarah, 78, currently serves as one of Camilla’s royal companions.
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Thursday’s memorial service marked one of many public appearances Charles has made since being diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February. Camilla and several other royals stepped in for the monarch at many events before Charles resumed royal duties in March. The king made his public comeback on April 30, visiting a cancer treatment center with Camilla.
“Not too bad,” Charles told a patient when asked how he was doing, noting that he was set to undergo “treatment this afternoon as well,” according to multiple outlets.
Since then, Charles has taken over several of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s patronages with Camilla in addition to being presented with his first royal portrait since his May 2023 coronation. Charles is set to make his first overseas visit since his cancer diagnosis next month. He will travel to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.
Camilla gave an update on her husband’s health earlier this month, telling attendees at a May 16 garden party that Charles is “getting better,” per royal reporter Roya Nikkhah. Camilla followed up her comment with a cheeky comment, adding that he would get better faster “if he behaved himself.”
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Charles and Camilla are set to make another appearance at next month’s Trooping the Colour ceremony. Rather than ride horseback during the event’s parade and military inspection, as he did last year, Charles will reportedly be seated in a carriage alongside his wife.
It is unknown which other royals will attend the festivities, though the palace recently confirmed Princess Kate Middleton will not take part in an upcoming Trooping the Colour rehearsal. Kate’s role as Inspecting Officer will be carried out by Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE. Kate has remained out of the public eye since December 2023, later revealing in March that she had begun preventative chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.
