King Charles has provided an unexpected update to a concerned member of the public about the progress he’s made in his cancer journey.
The monarch made the admission during a visit to Bradford with Queen Camilla. According to the Palace, the couple visited to celebrate the city’s people and heritage and to mark the start of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture initiative.
According to PA Media reported by Hello, the monarch met with Florist Safeena Khan during a visit to Impact Hub Yorkshire, where she asked him about his health.
PA Media reportedly wrote that he asked how she was doing and she returned the favour, and said he gave her the ‘thumbs up’. The outlet also reported that she said he told her, “I’d like to think I’m on the better side [of my cancer journey]”.
It is not the first time the King has openly commented on his cancer battle.
Earlier this month, he shed light on the lessons he has learned during his diagnosis at a reception he hosted alongside his wife Queen Camilla, to honour cancer charities.
Thanking those in attendance who had made a difference to cancer patients and their loved ones across the United Kingdom, he reflected upon his own experience being a cancer “statistic.”
” I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity,” he shared with attendees.
While his journey was difficult, the royal said it had given him a greater appreciation for the work done by the different organisations and volunteers in front of him.
“And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits – that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion,” he confessed candidly.
The monarch said the guests had his “whole family’s deepest admiration and gratitude, and “moments of kinship” were crucial.
“What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection – whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the handholding by a hospice volunteer, or the shared experience in a support group,” he added.
What keeps Charles going
This comes after Queen Camilla spoke about what kept King Charles motivated during his cancer treatment and recovery.
Speaking to UK journalists while the couple went on their state visit to Italy in April, she said he “wants to do more and more” and he was driven by “helping others”.
“I think he loves his work and it keeps him going,” Camilla said at the time. “And I think it’s wonderful, you know, if you’ve been ill and you are recovering, you’re getting better, and now he wants to do more and more and more. That’s the problem. That’s what he’s driven by. Helping others.”
The rare comments came only weeks after Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles was “briefly” hospitalised in late March due to the “side effects” of his cancer treatment.
The 76-year-old was due to hold several royal engagements in Birmingham on March 27th, however, after a secret visit to the hospital, he cancelled the appearances in order to focus on his ongoing recovery.
The official statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: “Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed.”
“His Majesty has now returned to Clarence as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice. Tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled. His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
King Charles’s doctors honoured
King Charles has kept many details of his ongoing cancer treatment private, and that includes the name of the physician treating him.
However, the monarch, who revealed his diagnosis last February, revealed the names of his treating doctors in the King’s 2025 Honours List.
The full list included more than 1,200 people across politics, sports and community service.
The monarch’s personal GP, Dr Douglas Glass, and his consultant physician, Professor Richard Leach, were both awarded with levels of the Royal Victorian Order.
Dr Glass was also the late Queen Elizabeth’s physician and was the last to treat the Queen before she passed.
Professor Leach is a consultant physician at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London, where many of the Royal Family are treated.
In his 2024 Christmas speech, King Charles also thanked members of the medical profession, saying:
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
“I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
Tours planned despite ongoing cancer treatment
After a successful tour of Australia and Samoa in October 2024, King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled to Italy in April, despite Charles’ recent health setback. There, they also marked their 20th wedding anniversary.
While their initial meeting with the Pope was postponed due to his health, the monarchs also met him at his home in Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis has since passed away.
In late 2024, Buckingham Palace also confirmed that the King would partake in regular international travel in 2025 as he adapted to living with cancer.
A spokesperson for His Majesty revealed at the time that the monarch would travel abroad during spring and autumn for several official royal visits, provided his medical team gave the go-ahead.
“We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high point for us, knowing that we can think in those terms,” Buckingham Palace said.
While the announcement didn’t give any updates regarding the King’s health status, the spokesperson did reveal that the King “genuinely thrived” on his first international tour since being diagnosed with cancer, and that meeting with members of the public lifted “his spirits, his mood, and his recovery.”
“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” they also shared, adding that the Queen’s presence in particular had given him strength.
During their whirlwind visit to Australia, the King and Queen attended scores of engagements in both Sydney and Canberra, greeting thousands of well-wishers in the process, something Buckingham Palace said made His Majesty “incredibly happy.”
“I think it’s a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far. He was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so,” the spokesperson added at the time.
While the type of cancer King Charles has been diagnosed with is yet to be revealed, he has been receiving treatment as an outpatient since going public with his diagnosis in February 2024.
After postponing all his front-facing duties until late April that same year, he then continued business as usual, attending several key events on the royal calendar, including Trooping the Colour.
As for what future royal tours may look like for the King while he is being treated for cancer, we have an idea of what to expect based on his time in Australia.
With several ambulances, a team of dedicated doctors and even spare blood travelling with him, he will be receiving the best care available, no matter the location!
“Greatest comfort”
Shortly after revealing to the world he was battling cancer, the King released a heartfelt statement to the millions who had sent him their well wishes.
King Charles’ first statement following his cancer diagnosis expressed his “most heartfelt thanks” for the well wishes he had received.
“As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement,” he shared in a statement at the time.
“It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and [the] wider world.
“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Before this, Queen Camilla had shared an unexpected update on her husband, King Charles III, just days after Buckingham Palace revealed the monarch had been diagnosed with cancer on February 6, 2024.
Speaking at an event in Salisbury on February 8, she said the King had been doing “extremely well under the circumstances.”
“He’s very touched by the letters and the messages the public have been sending from everywhere – that’s very cheering.”
In the statement from Buckingham Palace that first confirmed his cancer diagnosis, it was revealed that Charles remained “wholly positive about his treatment” and was eagerly awaiting the day he could return to “full public duty.”
“His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.
“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure.”
When the head of state is unable to carry out official duties, the “counsellors of state” can be appointed to stand in. Currently, this includes The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
