Cancer-stricken King Charles shows intent to help those living with disease

King Charles and Queen Camilla will host a reception in celebration of community-based initiatives raising awareness about cancer and supporting those living with cancer.

The Buckingham Palace revealed in February last year that Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

While he was able to return to public duties two months later, the number of engagements had been limited on medical advice.

In October, Charles and his wife Camilla made a brief stopover in India where they stayed at a holistic health centre following his first major trip since being diagnosed with cancer to Australia and Samoa.

Overall 2024 had been difficult for the royals.

The disclosure in March that the king's daughter-in-law Kate, the wife of heir Prince William, was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer was another shock.

While her treatment has now ended, her return to official engagements has been limited and she said her path to full recovery would be long. 

William said it had been the hardest 12 months of his life and "brutal" for the family.