King Charles is still in recovery from the cancer he was diagnosed with almost 11 months ago. The monarch returned to the spotlight at the end of April, and since then his public appearances have been sporadic. The Palace hasn’t offered any significant updates on Charles’ progress, though the report that he had paused his care treatment for his and Camilla’s visit to Australia and Samoa in October points towards him moving in the right direction.
Camilla and Prince William have stepped in for Charles several times during the last year. One of those events occurred just last week when William traveled to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral, which took five years to renovate after the devastating fire.
There, the Prince of Wales met world leaders, including the soon-to-be inaugurated Donald Trump. The former and future president has met William and Charles several times, and Melania Trump has even revealed that his husband and the king have been penpals. Meanwhile, following the Paris trip, Donald decided to open up about King Charles’ health, sharing an update with the world.
King Charles and the Royal Family’s year is coming to an end. It’s been one of the most tumultuous years in decades for the Firm, as two of the most senior Royal Family members – Charles and Kate Middleton – were diagnosed with cancer. The Princess of Wales has since announced that she is cancer-free, but exactly how Charles’ treatment is proceeding is not clear.
While he returned to royal duties at the end of April, almost two months after he revealed his diagnosis to the world, the monarch has taken things slowly and, from time to time, retreated to Sandringham, far away from the public spotlight, to recover.
In the meantime, in October, King Charles and Queen Camilla traveled to Australia and Samoa for a state visit, with reports claiming that King Charles decided – following the approval of his doctor – to pause his treatment for the long journey. That, if something, could be a sign that things are heading in the right direction.
Christmas is around the corner, and just as for many families worldwide, the royals will take a break from work and spend some quality time together. As is tradition, the holidays are celebrated at Sandringham with the closest family, and the only planned royal outing is, as always, the Christmas Day morning service at Sandringham Church, where well-wishers can give their holiday messages to the family.
King Charles & Queen Camilla – Royal Christmas
Charles and Camilla will naturally attend the royal Christmas celebration. The couple still have some royal duties to perform before they get their holiday break, but many are left wondering just how King Charles is really doing. Meanwhile, Camilla has been ill for several weeks and is recovering from a chest infection.
While Buckingham Palace hasn’t commented on King Charles’ health, a source told the Daily Beast that the king and queen want to keep things “quiet” to “preserve their health in the run-up to Christmas.” Just weeks ago, Camilla contracted pneumonia, and she remains in recovery.
“His vulnerabilities are well-known but her pneumonia has been a nasty reminder of hers. I think everyone is relieved he didn’t want to go off to Paris and stand in the cold for hours on end. They are very sensibly just keeping things quiet to preserve their health in the run-up to Christmas,” the source told the Daily Beast.
Charles continues to perform many of his royal duties in the midst of his cancer treatment. Speaking with GB News, royal expert Duncan Larcome claimed it could backfire, as Charles may be pushing himself too hard.
“He has kept going, and you get the impression he’s been doing as much as he physically can. I wonder if his doctors might privately be a bit annoyed that he hasn’t rested as much as he could have,” he said.
Charles has, as mentioned, had to cancel his participation in several royal events in the last year due to his treatment. On those occasions, Prince William and Camilla stepped in to take his place.
Donald Trump reveals new details about King Charles’ health amid cancer
For example, William replaced his father at the commemorative 80th D-Day anniversary earlier this year. Just days ago, he did it again. Over the weekend, the Prince of Wales traveled to Paris to attend the reopening of the enormous Notre Dame cathedral, which was struck by tragedy when it caught fire five years ago and was partially destroyed.
Among the world leaders in attendance was also the former and future president Donald Trump. The prince and the inaugurated president spent some time together regarding the reopening of the cathedral, with Donald said to have told William that he looked “better in person.”
Not all the two spoke about was said in front of the press, but later Donald decided to reveal that he and William spoke about King Charles and his health.
Speaking with the NY Post, Trump, who returns to the Oval Office in January, said that they talked about both Charles and Kate Middleton, the latter having announced her cancer diagnosis in March.
“I had a great talk with the prince,” Trump said. “And I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad. We had a great talk for half an hour, a little more than half an hour. We had a great, great talk.”
Donald Trump & King Charles are penpals, Melania says
Buckingham Palace has not commented on Trump’s remarks regarding the King’s health. Charles has met Donald Trump before, of course, most recently during the president’s state visit to the UK in 2019. While the two seemed to get along well at the time, Donald’s wife, Melania Trump, gave some insight into their relationship.
In her memoir, Melania, the former and future First Lady, wrote about the UK state visit and how they spent time with Charles and Camilla.
“Donald and I hosted an intimate dinner in honor of Prince Charles and the Duchess at the US ambassador’s residence—a perfect expression of the enduring ties between our nations,” Melania wrote. “Despite the tumultuous backdrop of British politics at the time surrounding Brexit and changes at the Prime Minister’s office, the Queen and her family extended a warm welcome to us, treating us with the utmost hospitality.”
Melania also revealed, quite shockingly, that her husband and Charles have since written letters to each other. She stopped short of specifying the contents.
“As we bid farewell to Her Majesty, we extended a cordial invitation for her return visit to the United States. She expressed her gratitude with a warm smile. Sadly, Her Majesty wasn’t able to visit with us again before her death in 2022, but our friendship with the Royal Family continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day.”
“All hail the Prince William of Wales”
Although Charles surely is extremely grateful and happy that William is helping him out with royal duties while he recovers, it’s not certain he will see this as a positive development. Instead, royal expert and historian Tessa Dunlop claims it will be a “painful reminder” for the monarch, who holds the “Royal Trump card.”
Dr Dunlop told the Mirror: “All hail the Prince William of Wales, the only man really standing shoulder to shoulder with America’s bolshie new president-elect, Donald Trump, in a wet Paris this weekend. Royal commentators gushed over the dawn of a new special relationship, with the future King sealing the deal perched opposite Trump on the British ambassadors’ golden upholstery.”
“Height wasn’t the only in-built advantage that William enjoyed; he exuded the untouchable confidence that comes with future kingship. Unlike Macron and Zelensky, who were subjected to Trump’s ostentatious grandstanding and power pummels, William received a shoulder pat and a paternal compliment – ‘good man, this one’. The American’s casual platitude a tacit acknowledgment that William has something even Trump can’t match – the magic of royalty.”
Dunlop continued: “These days, the Prince of Wales effortlessly blends his mother’s charisma with a careful study of the late Queen’s canny constitutional rule. Less is more, especially when the ‘less’ is delivered with a certain aplomb. Trump liked what he saw. The scramble to dispatch William into a helicopter destined for the other side of the Channel was justified. Phew! Starmer’s Britain is still in with a shout. All in all, it was a good weekend.”
Prince William & Donald Trump meeting – a “painful reminder” for King Charles
However, Dunlop sadly concluded that King Charles might not have believed Prince William’s meeting with Donald Trump was positive.
“It must be tough for Charles, a man who waited over seventy years for the big gig, to play second fiddle to his son. Time and again recently, William has grabbed the headlines: in Commando uniform firing a gun, wearing pinnyserving Christmas fare to the homeless, and accompanying his wife Catherine, during the Emir of Qatar’s state visit. All eyes are always on William and the Waleses.”
She concluded: “Charles’s battle with cancer has not helped, but even the monarch’s illness took second place to the Princess of Waleses’ shock diagnosis. The King, for so long overshadowed by his extraordinary mother, now finds himself outperformed by his eldest son, with William’s weekend jaunt in Paris another painful reminder of who holds royalty’s trump card.”
