King returns to official duties after hospital stay due to cancer treatment side effects
31 March 2025, 11:20 | Updated: 31 March 2025, 13:19
The King has returned to Windsor Castle for a usual working week following a brief stay in hospital due to side effects from his cancer treatment, it is understood.
The 76-year-old monarch will be carrying out a mix of public engagements, state duties and private meetings, including his usual audience with the prime minister, over the coming days.
He is also due to be investitures at Windsor Castle - where someone who has been awarded an honour receives their award in person from the King or another member of the Royal Family.
The King, who spent a restful weekend at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, will also begin preparing for his state visit to Italy with the Queen.
A small number of the monarch's appointments have been rescheduled over the next few days to ensure an appropriate balance ahead of the busy state visit next week.
His Majesty was pictured smiling and waving as he left his Clarence House home in central London on Friday where he spent the night with the Queen following the "minor bump" in his cancer journey.
The King cancelled a busy away-day in Birmingham on Friday to prioritise his recovery, after experiencing temporary side effects following treatment at the London Clinic on Thursday morning that required a short period of hospital observation that day.
The monarch was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024 and returned to public-facing duties last April, despite still undergoing weekly treatment.
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His cancer diagnosis followed tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
On Thursday, Buckingham Palace said the King "experienced temporary side effects" from his cancer treatment" and "required a short period of observation in hospital".
"His Majesty's afternoon engagements were therefore postponed," the statement added.
Thursday's short period of observation in hospital was described as a "most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction", the Press Association said, quoting a source.
(c) Sky News 2025: King returns to official duties after hospital stay due to cancer treatment side effects
