King Charles is set to make his return to public-facing royal duties following the news that he would be going through treatment for cancer.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the King, 75, and his wife Queen Camilla, 76, will partake in an outing in early May.
The news was announced via the royal family’s social media page, with the announcement reading: “His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis.
“To help mark this milestone, The King and Queen will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next Tuesday, where they will meet medical specialists and patients. This visit will be the first in a number of external engagements His Majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead.
“In addition, The King and Queen will host Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan for a State Visit in June, at the request of HM Government.
“As the first anniversary of The Coronation approaches, Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.”
Sources have emphasised that despite the positive news, the King still has cancer and will continue to undergo treatment.
“Doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that The King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
When his cancer diagnosis was announced in early February 2024, His Majesty postponed all public duties, but continued to work in private.
The King has hosted some intimate meetings at Buckingham Palace but a royal source previously told PEOPLE that Charles’ desire to work was “wholly undiminished”.
His nephew Peter Phillips revealed in an interview that his uncle was “frustrated” by his limitations.
“He is always pushing, his staff and everybody and his doctors and nurses to be able to say, ‘Actually, can I do this? Can I do that?’ ” Peter said. “So the overriding message would be that he’s obviously very keen to get back to a form of normality. And he’s probably frustrated that recovery is taking a little longer than probably he would want it to.”
The monarch’s return to public duties coincides with the one-year anniversary of his coronation on 6 May last year, and the announcement of his return was accompanied by a new portrait of the King and Queen.
The image was taken on 10 April, the day after the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary.
The palace said in a statement: “As the first anniversary of The Coronation approaches, Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.”
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