Month: September 2024

King Charles has revealed why Queen Elizabeth II decided to spend her final days at the Royal family’s castle in Scotland.

In a speech at Holyrood marking the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament, Charles spoke of Scotland’s ‘uniquely special place in the hearts of my family’ and suggested his mother decided it was where she wanted to die.

‘My late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there, in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days’, the monarch said.

The Queen traditionally spent the summer at Balmoral castle in Aberdeenshire, where she died at the age of 96 on 8 September 2022.

Anne said her mother spoke about concerns that her dying in Scotland, where she was happiest, might be logistically more complex than if she died in London or Windsor.

In a BBC documentary last year, Anne said: ‘I think there was a moment when she felt it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral. I think we did try to persuade her … that shouldn’t be part of the decision-making process. So I hope she felt that was right in the end, because we did.’

Charles was joined by Queen Camilla for his speech at Holyrood, and told those in attendance: ‘We are all, at the end of each day, united by our love of Scotland.’

He also referred to the mace the late Queen presented to the Scottish parliament 25 years ago, which Charles said was engraved with ‘the qualities to which we all aspire and that represent the very foundations of the relationship we share: wisdom, justice, compassion, integrity’.

The King said: ‘In those intervening years, much has changed in our world, but those most Scottish of values have remained steadfast.’

‘We are often told that we live in an era of polarisation and division. If that is so, then it is perhaps even more important, not less, that in the vital areas of representation, of political debate, of policymaking and of discourse, these values — together with hope, civility, and generosity of spirit — are never far from the heart of even the most difficult of issues.’

King Charles, 75, is currently undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed with the condition in February.

The cancer was discovered during treatment he was receiving for an enlarged prostate.

He will remain at Birkhall, his home on the Balmoral estate, until Wednesday, when he will return to London as he has done weekly while in Scotland over the summer to continue with his treatment.

Separately Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales was also diagnosed with cancer back in March, and has began a course of chemotherapy.

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It’s been two years since the famous ‘queue’ snaked ten miles through London as well-wishers looked to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Around a quarter of a million people are estimated to have paid their respects, and the fervour surrounding the ritual reinforced a globally held stereotype: that Brits love queueing.

A behaviour specialist has now broken down the psychology behind queuing and given a verdict on if Brits are truly the best. 

Simbarashe Shamu explained that queuing is a cultural behaviour – meaning it’s shared and learned through belonging to a certain group of culture.

He said: ‘Engaging in this behaviour reveals several things, one of which is that we are amenable to following rules. This rule-governed behaviour is further strengthened through the avoidance of social disapproval from members of our culture. The same is true for other behaviours such as politeness, patience and respect for traditions.

‘When others queue it gives us a sense of order. This is because by queuing they demonstrate cooperation by engaging in the same rule-governed behaviour as us.’

As for the Queen’s enormous queue in 2022, Mr Shamu said there are two main reasons why people queued so long to pay respect to a woman most of them had never met. 

‘The first is that they placed tremendous value on the act of paying their respects. This would have outweighed the value placed on alternative engagements, regardless of the delay or the response effort involved,’ he said.

‘The second is that the significance and uniqueness of the event would have been an establishing operation for queueing, in behavioural terms. In other words, people would have shown more patience for standing in queues as a result of the significance of the event.’

The need for Brits to see the Queen, despite never meeting her, comes from ‘conditioned reinforcement’. This can be attributed to the Queen symbolising tenets important to our society, Mr Shamu explained. 

‘These included stability, continuity, tradition and unity. Seeing the Queen was one way people could honour the connection that was developed over time.’

Before Her Majesty was laid to rest during her state funeral on September 19, 2022, Westminster Hall was open 24 hours a day for people to pay their last respects.

One well-wisher said in 2022: ‘She may be the Queen but she is also somebody’s mum, aunt and granny. I just think she is part of us as well. We have been lucky to have her.’

Firefighters were seen handing out bottles of water, while St John Ambulance volunteers were also at the scene.

At least 400 people in the queue had to be treated at one point, but all eventually made it to see the Queen before she was laid to rest.

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Prince Harry turns 40 years old today and the birthday celebrations are set to begin, with the royal jetting off for a ‘lads holiday’ with his closest friends.

Meanwhile, Meghan is expected to stay at home California with their children, five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet.

The royal has lived quite the life after being born into one of the world’s most famous families.

From his rebellious antics as a teenager and his work in the Army, to moving to the US and starting a family, there have been many ups and downs.

Let’s take a look back at all the key moments as Harry celebrates reaching 40.

1984: Prince Harry is born in St Mary’s Hospital

Henry Charles Albert David was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, on 15 September, 1984.

Harry was baptised on Friday 21 December at St George’s Chapel, where, thirty-three years later, he went on to marry Meghan Markle.

He is the second child of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Growing up, his family referred to him as Harry – a nickname that stuck.

1989: He looks adorable on his first day of school

Pictures show the young prince gaze up at his older brother at his first day at school in 1989.

Although he went onto be known for roguish behaviour, Harry was initially described as a quiet child who was ‘happy in his own world’, opposed to his brother William who was reportedly nicknamed ‘Basher’.

After attending Mrs. Mynors’s Nursery School, Harry headed to Wetherby School in London before going to Ludgrove School in Berkshire and eventually enrolling at Eton College.

1993 – 1994: Charity work, theme parks and McDonald’s trips

Diana is said to have tried to make sure her sons had as normal a life as possible outside the palace walls.

This included fast-food runs to McDonald’s on Saturday nights and amusement park and beach trips.

They enjoyed a day out to Thorpe Park on 13 April 1993 and there was no special treatment for the royals – Diana had insisted they queued for all of the rides, just like all of the other thrill-seekers.

The move that perhaps shaped her sons the most was the visits she used to take them on to homeless shelters and other charities.

1997: Loss of his mother

When Prince Harry turned 12, he faced the hardest time of his life.

One year after his parents divorce in 1996, Harry’s mum Diana died in a car crash in Paris.

The horrific accident happened just two weeks before Harry’s 13th birthday. He and William had been in the Royal Family’s Scottish holiday home Balmoral with their father and cousins at the time.

Harry later spoke of his pain while walking behind her coffin in the funeral procession.

‘It was like I was outside of my body and just walking along doing what was expected of me’, he said on mental health series The Me You Can’t See.

‘[I was] showing one tenth of the emotion that everybody else was showing: This was my mum – you never even met her.’

1998: Attending Eton College

Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Harry started Eton College in 1998.

It’s believed he wasn’t considered particularly academically strong but still gained 11 GCSEs and two A-Levels.

He was ‘a top tier athlete’, playing competitive polo and rugby, and was made a cadet officer in the Combined Cadet Force.

2008: Exploring the world on his gap year

After deciding against university, Harry explored the world on his gap year.

He spent time in Australia working as a jackaroo on a cattle station before heading to Southern Africa to work with orphaned children.

In his late teenage years and early 20s, Harry developed a rebellious reputation and was often seen drinking and smoking – gaining him the label of ‘wild child’ in the British press.

One of the biggest scandals saw him wear a swastika armband to a friend’s fancy dress party, which he later apologised for.

2005 – 2015: Serving in the army and Afghanistan

Harry served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.

Describing it as ‘the happiest times in my life’, he said: ‘I got to wear the same uniform as everybody else.

‘I had to do all the same training as everybody else. I started from the bottom like everybody else.’

He continues to work in support of his fellow servicemen and founded the Invictus Games in 2014.

A working man

Alongside his Royal duties, he founded the Invictus Games for sick and wounded military personnel, in 2014.

It was announced in June 2015 that Harry was leaving the Armed Forces.

Throughout this year, Harry continued his work started with the Invictus Games by visiting various wounded service personnel up and down the country.

2016: Meeting Meghan

Harry met Meghan Markle after being set up on a blind date by a mutual friend in London in July 2016. 

In the couple’s engagement interview with the BBC, the Duke of Sussex said he fell in love with the Suits actress ‘so incredibly quickly’ and that it felt like the ‘stars were aligned’ for their relationship.

But the pair struggled with press attention and in November 2016, Harry released a statement slamming ‘a wave of abuse and harassment that had racial and sexist undertones’.

2018: A royal wedding

Harry and Meghan married on May 19, 2018 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. 

Six hundred guests – including Serena Williams and George Clooney – watched them make their vows.

On the same day, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on her grandson and his new wife.

2019: Becoming a father and welcoming Archie into the world

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 6 May 2019 at the Portland Hospital in London.

He is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne and became a prince upon the accession of his grandfather, King Charles III.

January 2020: Stepping down

In January 2020, the duke and duchess announced that they were stepping back from their role as senior members of the Royal Family.

They settled in LA in March after living in Canada for a few weeks.

A year later, it was confirmed the move would be permanent and all honorary military appointments and royal patronages returned to Her Majesty.

Little was initially known about the reasons behind the decision but Harry later said he felt he had to remove his family from the grip of the British press, while he felt the firm had not offered them enough support.

April 2020: Archewell

In April 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were planning to launch a charitable organisation named Archewell.

The non-profit focuses on global issues working to ‘uplift and unite communities’.

March 2021: Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview

A bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 saw Harry and Meghan claim an unnamed member of the Royal Family had raised ‘concerns and conversations about how dark Archie’s skin might be when he’s born’.

The duchess revealed she had suicidal thoughts as she struggled with life in the UK, saying: ‘I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.’

Meanwhile, the duke spoke about his rift with Charles and William and said they were both ‘trapped in the system’.

The Queen responded saying the family was ‘concerned and saddened’ by the allegations, but added ‘recollections may vary’.

June 2021: Welcoming his second child

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in Santa Barbara, California, on June 4, 2021.

She was named after the Queen, who was nicknamed Lilibet as a child, and became a princess upon Her Majesty’s passing.

2021-2022: Loss of the Queen and Prince Philip

Harry’s grandfather died aged 99 on April 9, 2021, while his grandmother followed a year and five months later on September 8, 2022.

Both losses saw the prince reunite with his family in the UK to pay tribute.

He described Philip as ‘authentically himself with a seriously sharp wit’, and fondly remembered the monarch’s ‘infectious smile’.

2024: Turbulent times for the royal family

It has been a difficult year for the royal family with the shocking news of King Charles’ and Kate Middleton’s cancer treatments.

Harry came home to see his father after the diagnosis was made public but only met with his father for around 45 minutes before Charles left London – and it’s believed Harry spent the night in a hotel in London rather than a royal residence.

The Princess of Wales also took time to focus on her cancer treatment which she made public in a video message to the nation.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to have made contact ‘privately’ with Kate to send her a message of support during this time with reports in the US claiming they only found out when the rest of the world did.

September 2024: Harry and Meghan release new pictures for Netflix show

A teaser for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix project has been released after the couple confirmed they are working on two new projects with the streaming giant in April.

Netflix had previously said Meghan would host a cooking show and the other release is adocuseries about the world of professional polo, which will premiere in December.

What does Harry’s future hold?

While his future with the royal family is still a mystery, Harry is set to continue with his charity work.

In a statement released ahead of the birthday, Harry spoke of the important role his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, played in his life.

‘I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,’ he said.

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It’s been over two years since Queen Elizabeth died peacefully aged 96. But she had an almost close brush with death 41 years earlier.

During the Trooping the Colour parade in June 1981, a teenager fired six blank shots at the Queen as she rode her horse down The Mall.

The incident made headlines around the world, with the Queen visibly shaken as her horse Burmese was spooked by the gunfire.

The would-be assassin, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant, had travelled to London for the parade with the intent to kill the Queen. 

In the days leading up to the parade, he had sent a threatening letter to Buckingham Palace reading: ‘Your Majesty. Don’t go to the Trooping the Colour ceremony because there is an assassin setup to kill you, waiting just outside the palace.’

But the letter didn’t arrive until days after the parade, meaning the Queen was unaware of any threat when she mounted her horse that day.

Sarjeant had joined an anti-royalist movement in 1980 in Folkestone, Kent, and was unemployed and living with his mum when he travelled to London.

Armed with two blank-firing replica Colt Python revolvers, Sarjeant positioned himself near the junction between The Mall and Horseguards Road, then fired six blanks.

He was tackled to the ground by Lance Corporal Alec Galloway of the Scots Guards and disarmed.

There is an assassin setup to kill you, waiting just outside the palace.’

As he was being subdued, Sarjeant said: ‘I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be somebody.’

He told police he was inspired by the assassination of John Lennon and the attempted murders of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in the same year. 

Sarjeant was prosecuted under the Treason Act and pleaded guilty, before being sentenced to five years in prison on September 14, 1981. 

He was released in October 1984, when he was 20. He changed his name and began a new life – but wrote to the Queen to apologise for the incident. Sarjeant didn’t receive a reply to his letter.

An apology that was never reciprocated

Before he was convicted, his grandmother Sylvia told the Mail: ‘I love the Royal Family – every one of them, especially the Queen and the Queen Mother, and I am heartbroken that my grandson should be charged with something like this.’  

Queen Elizabeth was lucky that his gun was not loaded – but it’s not the first time she’s been at the centre of an assassination attempt.

In 1971, a log was placed on railroad tracks in hopes of de-railing the Queen’s train as she travelled through Australia. Luckily the conductor saw the log and stopped the train before disaster struck. 

Months after the 1981 Trooping the Colour incident another 17-year-old shot at the queen when she was visiting New Zealand. 

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Janet Jackson has recalled suffering an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction with Queen Elizabeth herself looking on.

The 58-year-old pop icon, whose breast was accidentally exposed by Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, has remembered another awkward moment in front of the late monarch.

She was performing Rhythm Nation in an epic military-style look which she wore as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.

During the routine, Janet ‘squatted’ and felt her trousers split at her ‘booty crack’, exposing her bottom on stage.

She was discussing the awkward mishap while breaking down her iconic fashion moments, and chuckled as she remembered the ‘funny story’ about the outfit.

‘I was performing for the Queen of England and doing Rhythm Nation and sure enough, soon as I squatted, my pants split right at my booty crack,’ she told British Vogue.

Janet quickly felt a breeze and realised the extent of the problem, as she found herself changing the choreography on the fly to make sure she didn’t give the Queen a cheeky show.

‘I couldn’t believe it happened. I thought, “Oh my God.” And then I started feeling air back there so then I knew that it had to had really happen,’ she said.

‘And the whole time it was fine until “No, you’re going to perform for the Queen of England.” So I never turned my back to her. Which some of the choreography was supposed to… I just faced forward.’

Janet also wore the Rhythm Nation outfit for her Walk of Fame ceremony, and she had explained how the inspiration came from the 1966 film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451.

She recalled: ‘And then needing someone to build it and thinking “Oh my God, who could do this for me?”

‘I went to my brothers, they had someone that they worked with quite often, his name was Bill Whitten. And Bill is the one – cause all those plates had to be made. He did a wonderful job. A beautiful job.’

Two decades ago, Janet faced an almighty global backlash when Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed her breast to the world at the Super Bowl, which he apologised for in 2021 after Hulu’s documentary Framing Britney Spears also highlighted ways in which Justin benefited from their split

He released a lengthy statement acknowledging his treatment of both women, saying that he was ‘deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right.’ 

Justin added: ‘I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism. I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.’

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A new statue of the late Queen Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip and her beloved corgis has divided opinion in Northern Ireland.

The statue, created by Belfast-based artist Anto Brennan, was unveiled in Antrim Castle Gardens this weekend.

Local councillor Vera McWilliam told the BBC: ‘We have to be honest, it does not resemble the queen in any shape or form.’

Reviews of the bronze statue have been mixed, to say the least, with one local saying ‘whoever signed that off needs their eyes tested’.

Tourists who were visiting the castle from El Salvador said the statue was a good thing to remember the queen, but said it didn’t look like her.

Cheryl and Gordon told the BBC they liked the sculpture, but added: ‘I wouldn’t have noticed that it didn’t look like the queen but with seeing it on Facebook and now that I see it yes, it probably isn’t a true reflection of her.

‘It’s just the face, the rest of the character of her looks correct but the face is maybe not a true reflection of her.

‘It is what it is, we all know who she is and what it’s meant to be so I would just leave it the way it is.’

Last year, a statue of Prince Philip was torn down by the council after being slammed as looking nothing like him.

Standing outside a bland office block, the bronze bust was erected without planning permission to commemorate Philip’s 35 years as university chancellor of Cambridge.

The reception to it was so, so bad not a single artist has ever owned up to making it.

One such artist, Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, said it was ‘an abuse’ to suggest he was behind it.

The city planning committee deemed it a ‘confusing’ eyesore that doesn’t fit in with the local area.

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Republic of Ireland fans were filmed taunting England fans with chants of ‘Lizzie’s in a box’ ahead of Saturday’s Nations League clash between the two sides.

The day before the second anniversary of the death of Elizabeth II, England sealed a 2-0 win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish on the score sheet.

Ahead of kick-off, a group of Irish supporters were filmed singing the chant at full volume outside a Dublin pub as England fans were escorted by police on the other side of the road.

There was a heavy Garda presence around Dublin from Friday night with The Irish Times reporting at least three men were arrested over the weekend. No injuries were reported.

The offensive chant was also heard being sung by a small section of Scotland fans during Euro 2024 in Dusseldorf.

The build-up to Saturday’s match was dominated by comments from England boss Lee Carsley who said he would not sing the national anthem.

Carsley, a former Republic of Ireland international, was true to his word ahead of kick-off with ‘God Save the King’ drowned out by boos around the Aviva Stadium.

England stars Rice and Grealish, who both represented Ireland at youth level with the Arsenal star also making three appearances for the senior side, were also targeted by home supporters with boos before kick-off and during the match.

Rice opened the scoring after 11 minutes with Grealish adding salt to the wounds by adding a second 15 minutes later.

Rice refused to celebrate his opener, insisting it would have been ‘really disrespectful’ having had an ‘amazing time’ playing for the Boys In Green before declaring for England.

‘My nan and grandad on my dad’s side of the family are all Irish, they’ve obviously passed away and aren’t here anymore.

‘I think to have celebrated would have been really disrespectful of me with them not being here anymore.

‘And with them being my dad’s parents, I didn’t want to do that to be honest with you.

‘I had such an amazing time playing for Ireland, in the first-team, the Under-19s, the Under-21s, they were great memories that live with me.

‘I don’t have a bad word to say to be honest with you. I wish them all the best like I always do with anyone.’

The Royal family has paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II two years after her death.

On the social media platform X, the family wrote: ‘Remembering Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022.’

A photo shows the late Queen in a pink hat and matching outfit, smiling at a summer Buckingham Palace garden party in 2019.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also hailed the ’70 glorious years of her reign’.

‘Today marks two years since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II,’ he said in a message posted on social media.

‘The late Queen’s dedication to the UK and Commonwealth taught us that whatever challenges our country faces, the value of service always endures.

‘For the 70 glorious years of her reign, she was at the heart of this nation’s life. Today we honour her memory.’

King Charles also attended church near Balmoral for prayers and reflection in memory of his mother.

Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Crathie Kirk where the late Queen was a regular and devout worshipper.

Charles was seen with his window slightly open, in the back seat of the maroon state Bentley with Camilla at his side as they headed to the place of worship at 11.25am.

The guest preacher at the service described the anniversary as ‘particularly significant and poignant for the royal family’.

Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson said: ‘It was a privilege to preach to the congregation of Crathie Kirk, which included King Charles III and members of the royal family.

‘This weekend is particularly significant and poignant for the royal family, indeed for all of us in Scotland, across the wider UK and Commonwealth, because the 8th of September marks the second anniversary of the death of Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty’s accession to the throne.

‘Like his late mother, His Majesty is very well known and liked in this community and is very much part of it. I remembered the royal family, along with all the people of this parish and the wider nation and Commonwealth in my prayers.’

Charles and Camilla later left Crathie Kirk by car after the hour-long service.

At the time of the late Queen’s death, Charles had been staying on his Aberdeenshire estate in the Highlands.

The late Queen died peacefully at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle.

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Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is the most-watched funeral in history – with an estimated 4 billion people tuning in from around the world to watch England’s monarch be laid to rest.

It’s now been two years since the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom passed away, and in the time since, the Royal family has been presented with a unique set of challenges.

Leading Royal expert Duncan Larcombe spoke to Metro about what’s happened in the time since Queen Elizabeth died – both positive and negative – and reflected on the potential of a ‘scaled back’ monarchy in the future.

‘A massive surprise’

After reigning over the United Kingdom for 70 years, the Queen’s death still surprised most people because of just how popular she was, Duncan explained.

He said: ‘We knew she was popular. But I don’t think anyone could have envisaged just how popular she actually was.

‘We saw people queuing for 12 hours, an incredible week of mourning that followed. Her death was way beyond expectation.’

Not only did her death see people of all ages and backgrounds mourning, it also brought the country together at a time of great divide, Duncan said.

‘It was a sort of antidote to a lot of families which had fallen out over Brexit, people that had been stuck in lockdown and a horrendous situation of Covid.

‘It united the country in a way that probably nothing else could.

‘I think it also gave the sense that regardless of what’s going on in politics, the British people like having a royal family as an institution, and it’s one that is widely supported.’

This support will have been a ‘great comfort’ to King Charles after his mother’s death, Duncan explained.

Two years of great change

‘I think that the Queen would be relieved with how Charles has coped with his first two years,’ Duncan said.

Citing two cancer diagnoses for major Royals this year alone, Duncan said the time since Elizabeth’s death has not been smooth, but they’ve ‘weathered the storm’.

‘Cancer is absolutely terrible, but in a strange way, I think it has rallied public support behind the Royals,’ he said.

‘It’s been an extra factor that is hugely important. People don’t wish Charles bad, and they certainly don’t wish Kate any harm either. 

‘I think that they’ve both conducted themselves with dignity as they faced up to what must be a very frightening and unpleasant diagnosis.’

One thing which has been interesting is the lack of national memorial to Queen Elizabeth in the time since she passed, Duncan said.

Though a committee has been formed to come up with a memorial and plans are underway, Duncan believes the sooner one is constructed, the better.

He remarks: ‘The public will want to see some kind of lasting memorial to a woman that was by far the most popular monarch ever to have reigned in Britain.’

Looking forward

With many of today’s primary royals having young children, a new generation of royalty is growing up quickly, and represent the future of the monarchy.

But Duncan points out if for some reason King Charles does not reign for long and Prince William is ‘thrust’ into the throne, he may not have as much support from Harry and Meghan as King Charles did with his siblings.

He explains: ‘This, again, points to an outlook of scaling back the royal family. If, for instance, the King lived to 85 and then William took up the throne, Prince George would be a young man by then.

‘But would he want to be thrown straight into full time working royal life?’

He continued: ‘I don’t think he would at all. I think he’d want to pursue other other things, just like William and Harry did.

‘There’s another big generation of Royals coming up through the ranks – but they’re quite young, and I think that is a concern.’

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The King’s health is ‘heading in a very positive trajectory’ following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, a royal source has said.

The update comes as Charles, 75, prepares to mark the second anniversary of his accession to the throne and the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday.

His second year as monarch has been a challenging one, with both he and the Princess of Wales both undergoing treatment for cancer.

But a source said Charles had coped with the past year with a ‘determination to be as public as he was able’ to reassure the nation about how much he could still do.

He has also been buoyed by Queen Camilla’s support.

‘Her natural warmth, resilience and sense of humour, as I’m sure any patient will tell you, is a wonderful thing to have,’ the source said.

‘Of course it’s been a stressful year for Her Majesty, too, but there was never a sense of despondency, only a determination that they would get through this, as with so many other challenging issues in the past.’

Charles is expected to attend church, spending time in private prayers and reflection, on the anniversary, which falls during his summer break on his Aberdeenshire estate in the Scottish Highlands.

The source: ‘There will be personal thoughts, prayers and reflections.

‘I’m sure it will be a very poignant day for all. How could it not be, not least given the year of challenge that the whole family has had?’

The King and Queen are gearing up for an important tour to Australia and Samoa in the autumn – their first major overseas trip since news of Charles’s cancer was announced.

‘Health has to remain the number one priority, albeit heading in a very positive trajectory,’ the source said.

Camilla gave an insight into the King’s treatment this week when she opened a new cancer centre in Bath, revealing he was ‘doing very well’.

Down-time will be incorporated in Australia and Samoa, with not too many back to back meetings, consideration given to the time difference, and a hoped-for trip to New Zealand removed to reduce the travel demands, but Charles’s programme is still expected to be ‘pretty full on’.

The King spent around three months away from public-facing duties and returned in April with a visit to a cancer centre in London.

He had a high profile run of engagements through the next few months with D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, Trooping the Colour, the incoming Japanese state visit, a short trip to Jersey and Guernsey, the appointment of a new Prime Minister after Labour’s landslide general election, and the State Opening of Parliament.

‘The best way of seeing how the King has coped is through his actions and words – everything that you’ve seen, everything that he’s said, and everything that he’s done,’ the source said.

‘From the earliest outset of the health challenge, it was the King’s determination to be as public as he was able, so that people could be reassured by just how much he was still able to do in the circumstances, under his doctors’ advice.

‘That has obviously slowly dialed up as the program of treatment and recovery continued, with the result that the King is off on a 12,000 mile trip to Australia and Samoa in a few weeks’ time.’

The third year of his reign will see a continuation of his so-called ‘4Cs’ – his guiding principles of ‘culture, Commonwealth, community and climate’ – with an additional sideline theme of ‘cancer’.

The King is said to have been greatly encouraged by the way his personal health has been able to broaden discussion and engagement around the issues of all forms of cancer, such as the rise in prostate screening after he had surgery at the start of the year.

He hopes to be able to show how people diagnosed with cancer can, if it is right for them, carry on with as much of their normal lives as possible.

Saturday sees the staging of the annual Braemar Gathering when the royals usually take front row seats to watch the traditional highland games, a short drive from Balmoral.

The King has been enjoying his summer break, and looked happy and relaxed when he attended the Aberdeen flower show last Saturday.

Gun salutes are usually fired on Accession Day, but because this year the anniversary falls on a Sunday when salutes traditionally do not take place, the military tribute by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Hyde Park and The Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London has been moved to Monday.

Both regiments taking part were responsible for firing the Death Gun salutes to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II two years ago, with almost all of the soldiers and horses taking part playing a part in the Queen’s state funeral and the proclamation of the King.

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