King Charles cancer diagnosis LATEST updates: William is set address father’s health as he resumes royal duties, the monarch rests at Sandringham, Prince Harry spends night alone in hotel

Prince William ‘didn’t want to take on extra responsibilities’ while Kate Middleton recovers from surgery and is going through a ‘scary time’ following King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, a royal expert has claimed.

Speaking to Ok!, royal expert Jennie Bond said King Charles’ shock cancer diagnosis has come at a difficult time for the Wales family.

She explained: ‘This is not a time in which he wanted to take on extra responsibilities, and it’s not a time when he wanted really to contemplate the fact that one day in the very foreseeable future he is going to be a monarch.

‘This is a time in his life where we know when he just wants to be a hands on dad and a very supportive husband. He’ll feel somewhat besieged by his wife being ill and now his father having cancer – this is a scary time for him.’

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Today’s investitures ceremony at Windsor will be William’s first appearance since Kate Middleton went into hospital for abdominal surgery last month.

The Prince was last seen outside The London Clinic after visiting his wife on January 18 – and she is set to be out of the public eye until at least Easter.

At today’s investiture, due to start at 11am, William will hand out more than 50 honours, including one to former England women’s footballer Ellen White, 34.

In the evening, he will attend the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in central London. He has been the charity’s patron since 2020.

The dinner is being held in support of the charity’s largest ever fundraiser, hoping to produce £15million to replace its helicopter fleet.

King Charles arrived at Sandringham for the first time yesterday after his cancer diagnosis on the anniversary of his grandfather’s death.

Charles arrived back at the Norfolk country house with Queen Camilla after meeting his son Prince Harry for less than an hour in their first face-to-face encounter for nine months.

His arrival back at the royal residency fell on the same day that King George VI died 72 years ago.

The father of Queen Elizabeth II passed away in his sleep at Sandringham at the age of 56 on February 6, 1952, after suffering from lung cancer.

The condition was kept secret from the King himself, who died five months after having part of his left lung removed.

Continuing with her visit to St George’s barracks in Bicester on Wednesday, the Princess Anne appeared to put the family’s health concerns to one side.

She was seen smiling as she spoke with an underwater explosive ordinance disposal operator for the Royal Navy, before she was shown an explosive device by Lieutenant Darren Powell.

The princess appeared to share a joke with several members of the regiment as they gathered to meet her, ahead of her visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission headquarters in Maidenhead later.

Prince Harry cleared his diary in a flash after King Charles phoned him and informed him of his cancer diagnosis, rushing from California to London on Monday night.

Arriving at lunchtime yesterday, the Duke of Sussex had a brief meeting with his father before the monarch travelled to Sandringham to recuperate after beginning his cancer treatment.

Prince Harry is thought to have stayed in a hotel in London overnight. It is unknown exactly how long he plans to spend in the UK.

Harry and Charles could meet again after their emotional reunion but there is no sign of a thawing in the ‘incredibly broken’ relationship between The Duke of Sussex and his brotherWilliam, royal experts have said.

Prince Harry flew 5,000 miles from California yesterday to see his father for 45 minutes following Charles’s shock cancer diagnosis – making him the first relative seen to visit the unwell King.

But while Harry’s transatlantic dash raised hopes he will continue to heal wounds with his family, there hasn’t been ‘any sign’ of a reunion between the two royal brothers.

BBC Royal Correspondent Daniella Ralph said the chances of a reconciliation between the two siblings remains unlikely given their ongoing feud.

‘It’s a sibling relationship that still looks incredibly broken. We don’t know if either side has reached out in any way, if there has been any attempt to find a truce. As things stand there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that,’ she told Radio 4.

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Hardy Princess Anne has again put on a brave face following her brother’s cancer diagnosis as she embarks on another packed day of royal engagements.

The Princess Royal visited the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Regiment at St George’s barracks in Bicester on Wednesday morning.

She was picture smiling broadly as she spoke with members of the regiment and posed for photographs.

Listen to the Mail’s Richard Eden explain why he believes Harry’s visit to London could be the perfect opportunity for him to make up with his family, including his brother the Prince of Wales.

Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia has revealed he ‘only recently defeated prostate cancer’ after admitting he was encouraged to speak up by King Charles’ ‘openness’.

In a shock statement, the 78-year-old, who is cousin to the British monarch, 75, disclosed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December last year.

He previously kept his battle with the illness under wraps, but Charles’ ‘openness’ about his own cancer diagnosis inspired him to speak out.

The 78-year-old said he was ‘terrified’ at the time of diagnosis, but the support of family and friends helped him through the struggle. Alexander has since received the ‘all clear’ from doctors.

He concluded the message by sending well wishes to his ‘dear friend and cousin’ Charles and expressed his ‘high hopes’ that the monarch will also be ‘triumphant’ in recovery.

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The announcement that King Charles has been diagnosied with a form of cancer shocked the world on Monday.

Less than 24 hours later, the globe’s media had descended on the small patch of grass in front of Buckingham Palace in central London.

King Charles’ cancer battle is changing his normally regimented daily routine – with doctors now insisting he starts work later, finishes earlier and can no longer continue his habit of skipping lunch.

The monarch has been told he will have to implement a number of new lifestyle changes to remain as healthy as possible, including cutting back on the time he sits at his desk.

Charles, who has been described as a ‘workaholic’ by his wife, has long been admired for his strong work ethic, burning the midnight oil and working long into the night.

But doctors’ orders will mean that the King will have to work reduced hours, including spushing back his daily morning meeting with his private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, to 9am from 8:30am.

The monarch is also well-known for his strict eating habits, skipping lunch and eating a late dinner – a habit he has kept over many years – but the King will now be advised to eat regular meals instead.

After beginning his cancer treatment King Charles III is recuperating at his Norfolk bolthole Sandringham, along with his wife Queen Camilla.

On Tuesday afternoon the King took a helicopter from Buckingham Palace to Sandringham following a brief meeting with Prince Harry.

Charles and Queen Camilla were seen for the first time since his cancer announcement as they waved to crowds while leaving Clarence House in London in an official car at 3.35pm before catching a helicopter to Norfolk.

The monarch’s Sikorsky S-76C chopper landed less than an hour later at the royal estate at around 4.20pm.

Pictures show the red and helicopter descending to the King’s estate – where the family gathered to celebrate Christmas just two months ago.

Labour MP for Rhondda Sir Chris Bryant has told Sky News that ‘we should all calm down about the King’.

Drawing on his own experiences, Sir Chris added: ‘Cancer is not a death sentence. The worst day was that first night. It does get better.

‘With my treatment they cut a chunk out of the back of my head as you know. It was all very frightening and I’m still here.’

Watch the full clip here:

The Prince of Wales is set to publicly acknowledge his father’s illness in a speech at the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in London this evening.

William is also expected to possibly thank wellwishers and speak about what the Royal Family have been through in recent days since the monarch’s diagnosis.

However, he will not talk about the ongoing breakdown in relations between him and Prince Harry – and has no plans to see his brother while he is in visiting Britain.

William will undertake two public engagements today – first holding an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on behalf of the King, and then the charity gala tonight.

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It’s been a whirlwind of royal news since Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer on Monday night.

Here’s what to look out for today:

• King Charles is expected to continue resting at Sandringham with Queen Camilla;
• All eyes are on Prince Harry after he spent last night alone in a hotel;
• Prince William is holding an investiture ceremony this morning as he returns to royal duties following his wife’s abdominal surgery;
• He will later attend a charity gala for London’s air ambulance;
• Princess Anne takes on a busy day of duties including visiting the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and St George’s Barracks.

King Charles has long been an advocate of homeopathic medicine and believes there is great value in complementary therapies.

Such is his belief that he appointed Dr Michael Dixon, 71, a staunch supporter, to be the head of his royal medical household in 2022.

After his appointment became public, Buckingham Palace put out a statement saying: ‘Dr Dixon does not believe homeopathy can cure cancer.

‘His position is that complementary therapies can sit alongside conventional treatments, provided they are safe, appropriate and evidence based.’

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Prince Harry’s return to London to visit his father represents a ‘little bit of a thaw’ in their relationship, says the BBC’s royal correspondent Daniela Relph.

Harry reportedly spent around 45 minutes with the King yesterday at his London residence.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Relph says both Harry’s return so soon after the cancer diagnosis and the King waiting for him in London are significant.

The fleeting visit might not seem like much, but she says this is a ‘father and son who’ve seen very little of each other over the past four years’.

Their relationship has been ‘incredibly strained and complicated’, Relph says, and it matters that the King’s younger son came to visit.

But Harry’s relationship with his brother Prince William ‘still looks incredibly broken’, she adds, noting there are no plans for the brothers to meet.

The Prince of Wales is to carry out his first royal engagements today since his wife was hospitalised for abdominal surgery.

Before his father’s cancer diagnosis, William had stepped back in order to care for Kate, who will not be performing any royal engagements until at least after Easter, and their three children.

The heir will this morning carry out an investiture ceremony, before attending London’s Air Ambulance charity gala dinner this evening.

King Charles is said to be ‘coping magnificently’ with his cancer diagnosis and is now recovering from a procedure in Sandringham Palace with Queen Camilla after a short meeting with Prince Harry in Clarence House yesterday.

Harry flew more than 5,000 miles on Monday from his home in California to London for what ended up being a 45-minute meeting with his cancer-stricken father before ‘spending the night in a London hotel.’

Following the King’s meeting with Harry, the upbeat monarch flew via helicopter to Sandringham with sources close to Charles insisting that: ‘If you didn’t know what was the matter, you wouldn’t have any idea that he had any condition at all.’

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Good morning, and welcome to MailOnline’s live blog.

We will be bringing you all the latest updates on King Charles and the rest of the royal family throughout the day.