Charles III’s cancer: Prince William thanks the British for their “sympathy”

Prince William thanked the British people on Wednesday for their “sympathy” towards the royal family and the king, who is suffering from cancer, the first public statement from the heir to the throne, who is resuming his official activities after taking a break to care for his wife, Kate, as she recovers.

“We sincerely appreciate everyone’s words of sympathy,” the heir to the throne briefly told the press upon his arrival at a charity gala in London, where he is due to give a speech.

William resumed his public royal engagements on Wednesday and the difficult task of filling the void left by the absence of King Charles III was forced to step aside. Less than 18 months after ascending the throne, the 75-year-old sovereign on Monday began treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

Charles III is absent from public life

If he continues some of his administrative duties, he will be absent from public life indefinitely and took to the streets at his country residence in Sandringham, eastern England, on Tuesday.

The king’s weekly audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be held “by telephone”, Downing Street said on Wednesday, in an extremely rare clarification of the traditional and “completely private” meeting between the sovereign and the head of his government. According to British media, they are expected to resume meeting in person within two weeks.

In anticipation of the fate that awaits him as his father’s successor, William, very popular, finds himself even more in the spotlight. The Prince of Wales, 41, presented the awards at Windsor Castle on Wednesday morning, his first official appearance in three weeks.

William left due to an operation his wife had and to care for their three young children, George, Charlotte and Louis. Kate, 42, was admitted to hospital on January 16 for abdominal surgery. The reasons for this intervention remain unknown, but according to British media, it is not cancer. The princess is spending her recovery at the family home in Windsor, west of London. It is not expected to resume operations until Easter, March 31.

Continuity and stability

William’s return, much anticipated due to his title as heir, appears to be kept to a minimum for now, with no commitments on his agenda for the coming days.

The continuity and stability of the monarchy, which exists primarily for the benefit of the public thanks to the thousands of visits of its members every year, essentially rests on the shoulders of Queen Camilla, who has become very visible in recent days, and Princess Anne. , Charles’s sister. Camilla has been traveling a lot in recent days. But there is no doubt that she should stay by his side to help him get through this ordeal.

On Tuesday, the couple were seen traveling together from their London residence Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, from where they took a helicopter to Sandringham.

Charles III just received a brief visit (just over half an hour) from his youngest son, Prince Harry, who has just arrived from California, where he lives with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.

Despite the ongoing tension between Harry and the rest of the royal family, the king personally informed his son of his illness. But the Duke of Sussex, seen at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday afternoon, spent just one day in London and did not meet William, dashing hopes of a reconciliation between the two brothers.