Royal news live: Kate Middleton sends touching letter to actor with cancer as William breaks silence on Harry

WorldPolitics
29 Oct 2024 • 6:00 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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The Princess of Wales has sent a touching message to Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, both of whom are cancer survivors.

Koirala, who has overcome stage IV ovarian cancer, received a heartfelt letter from Kate congratulating her on her recovery and return to work.

“I wanted to reach out to HRH The Princess of Wales to send my good wishes. I am deeply heartened to receive such a warm response from her,” she said.

She praised her dedication to supporting cancer patients and raising awareness about healthcare access and the signs of ovarian cancer, drawing from her own experiences.

Kate, now cancer-free and back to her royal duties, has not revealed the specific type of cancer she faced, which needed major abdominal surgery earlier this year.

In a message earlier this year, she acknowledged the complexities and fears associated with the cancer journey.

Meanwhile, Prince William publicly mentioned his brother, Prince Harry, for the first time in years.

He shared a poignant childhood memory of their mother, Princess Diana, taking them to visit a homeless shelter, marking a rare moment of reflection on their relationship.

Key Points

  • Prince William breaks silence on Harry in touching tribute to their mother Diana
  • Prince William’s homelessness documentary to air ahead of his brother’s series
  • King to return to full schedule of overseas trips
  • Charles and Camilla wave goodbye as they leave Samoa

Princess Diana biographer issues withering Meghan Markle verdict

09:27

Salma Ouaguira

The former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair has given a withering assessment of Meghan Markle, claiming she is “flawless about getting it all wrong”.

Tina Brown, who led the magazine from for eight years until 1992, is no stranger to ranting about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, having previously dubbed the couple as being “addicted to drama” and branding their exit from the royal family as a “disaster”.

You can read Ms Brown’s full verdict below:

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Royal Family held 12 royal engagements while Charles and Camila visited Australia

09:07

Salma Ouaguira

While King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed a nine-day royal tour in Australia and Samoa, other members of the Royal Family remained busy at home with their own engagements.

During the King and Queen’s visit, which spanned from 18-26 October, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and the Duchess of Edinburgh undertook 12 royal duties.

The packed agenda last week say Princess Anne make a trip to Edinburgh on Saturday, and the Duchess of Edinburgh visit Swansea.

Prince William’s homelessness documentary to air ahead of his brother’s series

08:47

Salma Ouaguira

Prince William’s documentary focused on homelessness is set to air on Disney+, just as his brother Prince Harry prepares to release a polo-themed series on Netflix.

The Prince of Wales, 42, has participated in a two-part ITV series titled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, aiming to shed light on his commitment to addressing the issue.

The documentary will premiere on ITV first on Wednesday and Thursday, with international audiences able to stream it on Disney+ starting 1 November.

On streaming rival Netflix, Prince Harry’s latest series promises “an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look” at the sport of kings. Polo, a five-part series co-produced by Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions, is scheduled for release in December.

While the Duke of Sussex is not expected to play a central role in front of the camera, he was filmed playing polo in Florida earlier this year to support his charity, Sentebale.

The series was primarily shot during the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida, and aims to give viewers “unprecedented access” to the world of professional polo, as Team Sussex highlighted.

ICYMI: Queen Camilla’s son reveals her kitchen secrets

08:27

Salma Ouaguira

Tom Parker Bowles has lifted the lid on the cooking of his mother, Queen Camilla, and the meals they ate at home while he was growing up.

Describing Camilla as a “good, basic cook”, he said she perfected slow-cooked scrambled eggs (always on the Aga) and roast chicken – but steered clear of all spice and curries.Never following a recipe, she relied on “very, very simple food” while providing meals for Tom and his sister Laura at their home near Chippenham in Wiltshire.

Read the exclusive interview with The Independent’s editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig below:

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The royal family’s finances are shrouded in mystery – it’s time to open the books

07:00

Athena Stavrou

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger. But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth

Read the full premium article here:

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Watch: Prince William recalls first visit to homeless shelter with mother Diana

06:00

Athena Stavrou

King takes great strength from Camilla as she ‘keeps it real’

04:00

Athena Stavrou

The King “genuinely loved” and “thrived” on his tour tour of Australia and Samoa as it lifted “his spirits, his mood and his recovery, a Buckingham Palace said.

“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” a palace official said.

He went on to say the monarch takes great strength from the Queen being there, not least because she “keeps it real”.

Australia was a significant visit for Charles as it was his first to the country as King and in Samoa he opened a major Commonwealth summit.

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Unseen pictures from William, Harry and Princess Diana’s trip to homeless shelter

02:00

Athena Stavrou

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Watch: Tom Parker Bowles' full interview with Geordie Greig

00:01

Athena Stavrou

Were Wallis Simpson rumours orchestrated by the British establishment?

Monday 28 October 2024 22:00

Athena Stavrou

Were the scandalous stories surrounding Wallis Simpson’s time in China were the product of society gossip - or an orchestrated effort by the British establishment to sabotage her relationship with the future Edward VIII?

This is the question discussed by author Paul French in his new book Her Lotus Year.

Dubbed the “China Dossier”, the collection of rumours accused Simpson of affairs, connections to gangsters, and risque behaviours, but French argues that none of these claims had any factual basis with Simpson.

Instead, they appear to have been drawn from unrelated incidents in 1920s China, and possibly amplified by figures in British intelligence.

French’s research suggests that the tales were carefully constructed to tarnish Simpson’s reputation, showing the lengths to which the establishment may have gone to block a royal union with a controversial American divorcee.

“They just wanted to scupper this relationship somehow,” French said.

image is not available

Full story: Prince William remembers ‘anxious’ first visit to homeless charity with Princess Diana

Monday 28 October 2024 20:00

Athena Stavrou

The Prince of Wales has recalled playing chess and chatting with people during his first visit to The Passage homelessness charity with his mother, more than 30 years ago, in a new documentary.

William said he was “a bit anxious as to what to expect” before his first visit, and remembered his mother – Diana, Princess of Wales – “making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone”.

Read the full story here:

image is not available

King to return to full schedule of overseas trips

Monday 28 October 2024 18:00

Athena Stavrou

King Charles is set to return to his normal schedule of overseas tours next year, amid his ongoing cancer treatment.

In an update given by a palace official, it was revealed Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn in 2025, provided doctors sanction the travel.

“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,” the official said.

An update about the state of the King’s health or his treatment has not been given but the news that Charles will take on more overseas trips suggests his cancer is being managed successfully.

image is not available

Inside the King’s ‘holistic’ approach to his cancer diagnosis

Monday 28 October 2024 17:00

Athena Stavrou

Details of the King’s “holistic” approach to his cancer diagnosis have been revealed by the palace.

The King has been receiving treatment as an out-patient for an undisclosed form of cancer since early February, and initially postponed all public-facing duties, continuing to work behind the scenes, and returned to events with the public in late April.

Maintaining a work schedule after his diagnosis has been an important part of Charles’s holistic approach to his cancer, and during the recent trip with his wife he maintained a busy schedule for the benefit of “mind and soul” while the doctor on the trip looked after the body.

A palace official said about the large number of events the King attended during the recent tour: “It is also a great measure of the way that the King is dealing with the diagnosis.

“And he’s a great believer in mind, body and soul, and this combination works very well on a visit like this, because he feels that sense of duty so strongly that to keep his mind and his soul engaged and then the doctor is here to make sure that his body is properly looked after, you’ve got what makes for very successful visit in in these circumstances.”

Prince William breaks silence on Harry in touching tribute to their mother Diana

Monday 28 October 2024 16:08

Athena Stavrou

Prince William has mentioned Prince Harry publicly for the first time in years, as he recalls a childhood memory in his upcoming documentary.

The Prince of Wales recounted the time his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and his brother to visit a homeless shelter more than 30 years ago.

He said: “My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think probably at the time, maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.”

The mention of Harry is believed to be the first in six years. The last time William spoke about hus brother publicly is thought to be in 2018 when the pair were interviewed at Royal Foundation Forum.

Previously unseen pictures have also released as part of the documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, showing William as a child on the visit.

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William talks to George, Charlotte and Louis about homelessness on school run - ICYMI

Monday 28 October 2024 15:10

Athena Stavrou

The Prince of Wales is using the school run to tell his children about homelessness, just as his mother did when he was a boy, as he attempts to find ways to tackle the issue.

William said he talks to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when they spot rough sleepers – much in the same way that his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, did when he and his brother Harry were children.

He tells the ITV1 and ITVX documentary – Prince William: We Can End Homelessness: “When you are that small you are just curious and trying to work out what’s going on. You ask the question ‘why are they sitting there?’

“My mother would talk to us a bit about why they were there and it definitely made a really big impact.”

William was asked on the documentary when he felt the right time would be to introduce George, 11; Charlotte, nine; and Louis, six, to homelessness.

He replied: “I am probably already doing it on the school run. The first few times I thought ‘do I bring this up or should I wait to see if they notice?’ Sure enough, they did. They were sort of in silence when I said what was going on.”

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Round up of royal trip to Australia and Samoa

Monday 28 October 2024 14:14

Athena Stavrou

From poignant remembrance events to ancient welcome ceremonies, the King and Queen’s tour of Australia and Samoa had it all.

Crowds flocked to the famous Sydney Opera House to see the monarch making his first visit to Australia as King, with his wife Camilla. It saw the largest crowd of the tour, with more than 6,000 people vying for the best spot to get a glimpse of the couple.

In the capital Canberra the mood was very different when the couple paid their respects at the Australian War Memorial during a poignant wreath-laying ceremony. There were moments when the formalities were forgotten, including Charles being hugged by one well-wisher during his visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney.

Some encounters were more unusual, from an alpaca wearing a crown and bow tie that sneezed as the King stroked its nose, to the Queen trying to coax a parrot to talk.

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Royal tours sometimes have controversial moments and when Charles was welcomed by parliamentarians in Canberra, senator Lidia Thorpe accused him of “genocide” against the First Nations.

In Samoa the King showed off his own take on local fashion during welcoming ceremonies.

Charles swapped his trademark tailored suit for a short-sleeved white jacket and trousers he designed himself as he was honoured with a new title, sipped a symbolic drink and was presented with a pig for feasting on the opening day of his state visit to the Pacific nation.

The itinerary was tailored to give the King, who has been receiving treatment for cancer for much of the year, periods of rest. A rest day was allocated after the couple first arrived in Australia and the King looked engaged, relaxed and in good spirits throughout the overseas visit.

King takes great strength from Camilla as she ‘keeps it real'

Monday 28 October 2024 13:20

Athena Stavrou

The King “genuinely loved” and “thrived” on his tour tour of Australia and Samoa as it lifted “his spirits, his mood and his recovery, a Buckingham Palace said.

“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” a palace official said.

He went on to say the monarch takes great strength from the Queen being there, not least because she “keeps it real”.

Australia was a significant visit for Charles as it was his first to the country as King and in Samoa he opened a major Commonwealth summit.

image is not available

Voices: The royal family’s finances are shrouded in mystery – it’s time to open the books

Monday 28 October 2024 12:20

Athena Stavrou

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger. But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth.

Read the full story:

image is not available

Palace share highlights reel of royal tour of Australia and Samoa

Monday 28 October 2024 11:28

Athena Stavrou

King Charles and Queen Camilla have shared their thanks for those who joined them on their recent royal tour of Australia and Samoa.

A video, shared on X/Twitter, shows a selection of clips from their trip.

William shares behind-the-scenes snaps from upcoming documentary

Monday 28 October 2024 10:30

Athena Stavrou

The Prince of Wales has shared some behind-the-scenes pictures from his upcoming documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.

The programme follows the prince during the first year of his Homewards initiative.

The campaign is a major long-term focus for William, who has told how visiting shelters with his late mother when he was a child left a deep and lasting impression and inspired his work.

The documentary will be broadcast on October 30 and 31 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player.

Were Wallis Simpson rumours orchestrated by the British establishment?

Monday 28 October 2024 09:26

Athena Stavrou

Were the scandalous stories surrounding Wallis Simpson’s time in China were the product of society gossip - or an orchestrated effort by the British establishment to sabotage her relationship with the future Edward VIII?

This is the question discussed by author Paul French in his new book Her Lotus Year.

Dubbed the “China Dossier”, the collection of rumours accused Simpson of affairs, connections to gangsters, and risque behaviours, but French argues that none of these claims had any factual basis with Simpson.

Instead, they appear to have been drawn from unrelated incidents in 1920s China, and possibly amplified by figures in British intelligence.

French’s research suggests that the tales were carefully constructed to tarnish Simpson’s reputation, showing the lengths to which the establishment may have gone to block a royal union with a controversial American divorcee.

“They just wanted to scupper this relationship somehow,” French said.

image is not available

Watch: Tom Parker Bowles full interview with Geordie Greig

Monday 28 October 2024 08:45

Athena Stavrou

Tom Parker Bowles gives his verdict on the cooking of his mother, the Queen

Monday 28 October 2024 08:00

Athena Stavrou

Tom Parker-Bowles has lifted the lid on the cooking of his mother, Queen Camilla, and the meals they ate at home while he was growing up.

Describing Camilla as a “good, basic cook”, he said she perfected slow-cooked scrambled eggs (always on the Aga) and roast chicken - but steered clear of all spice and curries.

Never following a recipe, she relied on “very, very simple food” while providing meals for Tom and his sister Laura at their home near Chippenham in Wiltshire.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent’s editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, the renowned food writer discussed everything from his fondest childhood food memories to the one meal that caused Buckingham Palace to grind to a halt.

Read the full story here:

image is not available

Prince William recalls first visit to homeless shelter with mother Diana

Monday 28 October 2024 07:30

Maroosha Muzaffar

Inside the King’s ‘holistic’ approach to his cancer diagnosis

Monday 28 October 2024 07:00

Athena Stavrou

Details of the King’s “holistic” approach to his cancer diagnosis have been revealed by the palace.

The King has been receiving treatment as an out-patient for an undisclosed form of cancer since early February, and initially postponed all public-facing duties, continuing to work behind the scenes, and returned to events with the public in late April.

Maintaining a work schedule after his diagnosis has been an important part of Charles’s holistic approach to his cancer, and during his recent trip to Australia and Somoa he maintained a busy schedule for the benefit of “mind and soul” while the doctor on the trip looked after the body.

A palace official said about the large number of events the King attended during the recent tour: “It is also a great measure of the way that the King is dealing with the diagnosis.

“And he’s a great believer in mind, body and soul, and this combination works very well on a visit like this, because he feels that sense of duty so strongly that to keep his mind and his soul engaged and then the doctor is here to make sure that his body is properly looked after, you’ve got what makes for very successful visit in in these circumstances.”

Charles ‘unruffled’ by Australian senator’s ‘genocide’ accusation

Monday 28 October 2024 06:30

Athena Stavrou

King Charles was “completely unruffled” after being confronted by an Australian senator accusing him of genocide, a palace official has said.

Lidia Thorpe, 51, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.

She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.

However, the monarch remained relatively unaffected by this. The palace official said: “He’s been around a long time. As always, kept calm, carried on.”

He believes “free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and so everyone is entitled to their views”. Potential issues during a overseas tour are “not ducked”, it’s “very easy to run away from some of these issues.

“But the King isn’t one for doing that,” said the palace official.

Prince William inspired by Princess Diana to end homelessness as he shares unseen family footage of charity visit

Monday 28 October 2024 06:00

Athena Stavrou

Prince William has revealed how his mother Princess Diana inspired him to end homelessness as he shared unseen family footage of a charity visit.

A new ITV documentary shows William visiting the same homelessness charity where his mother first took him and Harry when he was 11.

William says: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But Mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.

“I remember thinking if no one has a home everyone would be really sad but it was incredible how happy an environment it was. I remember having good conversations, playing chess and chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do.

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness airs 30th and 31st October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player

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King to embrace overseas tours despite cancer battle

Monday 28 October 2024 05:30

Maroosha Muzaffar

The King will return to regular overseas trips next year as he adapts to living with cancer.

Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, the traditional periods for official foreign royal trips, provided doctors sanction the travel.

The development comes after the King’s recent tour of Australia and Samoa with the Queen he was “determined” to carry out and which was a “perfect tonic” for the head of state, said a senior Buckingham Palace official.

The palace official added: “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.”

An update about the state of the King’s health or his treatment has not been given but the news that Charles will take on more overseas trips suggests his cancer is being managed successfully.

Read the full story here:

image is not available

Voices: The royal family’s finances are shrouded in mystery – it’s time to open the books

Monday 28 October 2024 05:00

Maroosha Muzaffar

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger. But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth:

image is not available

ICYMI: Commonwealth nations adopt 1st ocean declaration as former British colonies seek reparatory justice

Monday 28 October 2024 04:30

Maroosha Muzaffar

Commonwealth countries have adopted their first ocean declaration during their summit held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Samoa as calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for reparatory justice for the trans-Atlantic slave trade grew louder:

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— Associated Press

Prince William breaks silence on Harry in touching tribute to their mother Diana

Monday 28 October 2024 04:00

Athena Stavrou

Prince William has mentioned Prince Harry publicly for the first time in years, as he recalls a childhood memory in his upcoming documentary.

The Prince of Wales recounted the time his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and his brother to visit a homeless shelter more than 30 years ago.

He said: “My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think probably at the time, maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.”

The mention of Harry is believed to be the first in six years. The last time William spoke about hus brother publicly is thought to be in 2018 when the pair were interviewed at Royal Foundation Forum.

Previously unseen pictures have also released as part of the documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, showing William as a child on the visit.

image is not available

New book reveals how high society and British intelligence smeared Wallis Simpson

Monday 28 October 2024 03:26

Maroosha Muzaffar

A new book investigates whether the scandalous stories surrounding Wallis Simpson’s time in China were the product of society gossip or an orchestrated effort by the British establishment to sabotage her relationship with the future Edward VIII.

Dubbed the “China Dossier”, this collection of rumours accused Simpson of affairs, connections to gangsters, and risque behaviours, but author Paul French argues in Her Lotus Year that none of these claims had any factual basis with Simpson.

Instead, they appear to have been drawn from unrelated incidents in 1920s China, and possibly amplified by figures in British intelligence.

French’s research suggests that the tales were carefully constructed to tarnish Simpson’s reputation, showing the lengths to which the establishment may have gone to block a royal union with a controversial American divorcee.

“They just wanted to scupper this relationship somehow,” French said.

Charles ‘unruffled’ by Australian senator’s ‘genocide’ accusation

Monday 28 October 2024 02:00

Athena Stavrou

King Charles was “completely unruffled” after being confronted by an Australian senator accusing him of genocide, a palace official has said.

Lidia Thorpe, 51, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.

She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.

However, the monarch remained relatively unaffected by this. The palace official said: “He’s been around a long time. As always, kept calm, carried on.”

He believes “free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and so everyone is entitled to their views”. Potential issues during a overseas tour are “not ducked”, it’s “very easy to run away from some of these issues.

“But the King isn’t one for doing that,” said the palace official.

image is not available

King to return to full schedule of overseas trips - ICYMI

Monday 28 October 2024 00:01

Athena Stavrou

King Charles is set to return to his normal schedule of overseas tours next year, amid his ongoing cancer treatment.

In an update given by a palace official, it was revealed Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn in 2025, provided doctors sanction the travel.

“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,” the official said.

An update about the state of the King’s health or his treatment has not been given but the news that Charles will take on more overseas trips suggests his cancer is being managed successfully.

Full story: Prince William remembers ‘anxious’ first visit to homeless charity with Princess Diana

Sunday 27 October 2024 22:00

Athena Stavrou

The Prince of Wales has recalled playing chess and chatting with people during his first visit to The Passage homelessness charity with his mother, more than 30 years ago, in a new documentary.

William said he was “a bit anxious as to what to expect” before his first visit, and remembered his mother – Diana, Princess of Wales – “making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone”.

Read the full story here:

image is not available

Sunday 27 October 2024 20:00

Athena Stavrou

Tom Parker Bowles gives his verdict on the cooking of his mother, the Queen

Tom Parker-Bowles has lifted the lid on the cooking of his mother, Queen Camilla, and the meals they ate at home while he was growing up.

Describing Camilla as a “good, basic cook”, he said she perfected slow-cooked scrambled eggs (always on the Aga) and roast chicken - but steered clear of all spice and curries.

Never following a recipe, she relied on “very, very simple food” while providing meals for Tom and his sister Laura at their home near Chippenham in Wiltshire.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent’s editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, the renowned food writer discussed everything from his fondest childhood food memories to the one meal that caused Buckingham Palace to grind to a halt.

Read the full story here:

image is not available

Watch: Prince William recalls first visit to homeless shelter with mother Diana

Sunday 27 October 2024 18:00

Athena Stavrou

Inside the King’s ‘holistic’ approach to his cancer diagnosis

Sunday 27 October 2024 16:00

Athena Stavrou

Details of the King’s “holistic” approach to his cancer diagnosis have been revealed by the palace.

The King has been receiving treatment as an out-patient for an undisclosed form of cancer since early February, and initially postponed all public-facing duties, continuing to work behind the scenes, and returned to events with the public in late April.

Maintaining a work schedule after his diagnosis has been an important part of Charles’s holistic approach to his cancer, and during the recent trip with his wife he maintained a busy schedule for the benefit of “mind and soul” while the doctor on the trip looked after the body.

A palace official said about the large number of events the King attended during the recent tour: “It is also a great measure of the way that the King is dealing with the diagnosis.

“And he’s a great believer in mind, body and soul, and this combination works very well on a visit like this, because he feels that sense of duty so strongly that to keep his mind and his soul engaged and then the doctor is here to make sure that his body is properly looked after, you’ve got what makes for very successful visit in in these circumstances.”

Trip to Australia and Samoa was ‘perfect tonic’ for King

Sunday 27 October 2024 14:53

Athena Stavrou

The King “genuinely loved” and “thrived” on his tour tour of Australia and Samoa as it lifted “his spirits, his mood and his recovery, a Buckingham Palace said.

“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” a palace official said.

He went on to say the monarch takes great strength from the Queen being there, not least because she “keeps it real”.

Australia was a significant visit for Charles as it was his first to the country as King and in Samoa he opened a major Commonwealth summit.

image is not available

Prince William inspired by Princess Diana to end homelessness as he shares unseen family footage of charity visit

Sunday 27 October 2024 13:45

Athena Stavrou

Prince William has revealed how his mother Princess Diana inspired him to end homelessness as he shared unseen family footage of a charity visit.

A new ITV documentary shows William visiting the same homelessness charity where his mother first took him and Harry when he was 11.

William says: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But Mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.

“I remember thinking if no one has a home everyone would be really sad but it was incredible how happy an environment it was. I remember having good conversations, playing chess and chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do.

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness airs 30th and 31st October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player

image is not available

Unseen pictures from William, Harry and Princess Diana’s trip to homeless shelter

Sunday 27 October 2024 12:44

Athena Stavrou