King Charles III set to resume full schedule amid cancer treatment

LONDON: King Charles III, who had cut back on some of his royal duties after revealing a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, is to resume a full schedule from 2025 as his treatment continues, Buckingham Palace has said this weekend.

A senior palace official told reporters at the conclusion of the 75-year-old monarch’s tour of Australia and Samoa that he is keen to get back into a regular programme and overseas travel after a successful visit.

"We're now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms, subject to sign-off by doctors," a Buckingham Palace official was quoted as saying in ‘The Sunday Times’.

"I think it's great testament to the King's devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so," the official said.

The tour of Australia along with his wife, Queen Camilla, was the King's first major visit since the palace confirmed in February that he was suffering from an unspecified form of cancer. Initially, the visit was to also cover New Zealand, which was dropped from the schedule on the advice of doctors.

Following Australia, Charles attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Pacific Island nation of Samoa as the head of the 56-member organisation.

Closing his speech during the opening ceremony, the King alluded to his health: "For my part, I can assure you today that for however many years God grants me, I will join you and the people of the Commonwealth on every step of this journey.

"Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us be proud of who we are today."

The entire schedule, which involved the King and Queen undertaking up to 10 engagements a day, had been tailored specifically to accommodate periods of rest and included only one evening event.

The monarch is said to have "genuinely loved" his time in Australia and Samoa and "thrived" on the programme.

The palace official stated: "It's lifted his spirits, his mood and his recovery. In that sense, the tour - despite its demands – has been the perfect tonic."

In Parliament House in Canberra, the King was confronted by Lidia Thorpe, a senator from Victoria of Aboriginal descent, who heckled the royal and accused him of “genocide” against “our people”. The outburst threatened to overshadow the trip, but sources close to the King said he was “completely unruffled” by the incident despite the subsequent controversy.

“He’s been around for a long time. As always, he kept calm, carried on. He believes free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and so everyone is entitled to their views,” palace sources said.

The monarch is expected to recommence his cancer treatment on his return to the UK, having paused it whilst abroad.

He issued a message to mark the end of the historic tour: “As our visits to Australia and Samoa come to a close, my wife and I would like to thank both nations for the warmest of welcomes and for the countless fond memories we will carry in our hearts for many years to come.

“Even when we are far apart in distance, the many close connections that unite us across the globe and through our Commonwealth family have been renewed, and will remain as profound as they are enduring.”