In a major sign that King Charles’s health is improving, the monarch has been given the go-ahead by his doctors to pause his cancer treatment while he’s abroad.
King Charles will ‘pause’ his cancer treatment during his upcoming state visits to Australia and Samoa next week.
The King and Queen will fly over 10,000 miles from London to Sydney next Thursday for the start of an official state visit to Australia.
Landing on Friday, October 18, the couple will spend five days between Sydney and Canberra before flying to Samoa on Wednesday, October 23 for a state visit where he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The two back-to-back visits – spanning 12 time zones – have been seen as a major test of the King’s stamina, as he continues to be treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.
But insiders have told the Daily Mail that his doctors are allowing him to take a break from his treatment while he’s away.
They said that the King will be treated until he flies and will resume his treatment cycle as soon as he’s back in the UK. His doctor will also accompany him on the trip, something that is standard practice for royal tours.
Aides have ensured that the monarch’s schedule has been fairly light in the weeks leading up to the foreign trips.
Since September he’s attended just seven in-person engagements, including attending the Scottish Parliament to mark its 25th anniversary, hosting a reception at St James’s Palace to celebrate the Commonwealth Diaspora and hosted the women’s New Zealand rugby team at Buckingham Palace.
He also continued with his constitutional duties, such as holding his audience with the Prime Minister, holding the privy council meeting, and holding audiences with heads of state.
The King and Queen’s schedule in Australia and Samoa however will be anything but light – with up to 10 engagements a day between them.
However, aides have stressed that the King’s diary have been carefully managed with his health in mind.
King Charles at a reception last week
A source told the newspaper: “The fortnight in the run up to the royal tour has been kept deliberately light for His Majesty. He will still be undertaking meetings, doing his paperwork and still come down for treatment.
“Australia is a big deal and he wants to be fighting fit. As soon as he returns he is also straight into a really intense programme all the way up to Christmas.
“The late Queen would stay in Scotland into October and he’s decided to do the same. It’s a place of peace for him and that’s more imperative than usual this year because of what he has coming up.
“For a workaholic [like him] it’s the chance to have a small breather.”
The King underwent prostate surgery in January and was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer shortly afterwards.
Throughout his treatment he has been determined to carry on as normal, continuing his consultation work as head of state while he postponed his public-facing duties for almost three months and pushing ahead with a busy diary upon his return.
