UPDATE: 12/20/24, 1:03 p.m. ET — During a Friday, December 20, public appearance at a reception at the Waltham Forest Town Hall, King Charles III was asked about his wellbeing.
“I’m still alive,” he joked, per online footage.
Original story continues below:
King Charles III is reportedly expected to continue his cancer treatment going into the new year.
ABC News confirmed on Friday, December 20 via a source that Charles’ continued treatment is part of a “managed condition” and already headed in a “positive direction.”
Charles, 75, is also expected to continue participating in public-facing engagements and duties in 2025.
Buckingham Palace confirmed earlier this year that the king had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” Charles said in February. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
He added, “It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations [that] support cancer patients and their families across the U.K. and wider world. My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Charles briefly paused his public duties to undergo an undisclosed type of treatment. He made his public return in April.
“His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis,” the palace noted in a statement at the time. “His Majesty’s medical team are very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery.”
Per the statement, all of Charles’ engagements would be “adapted where necessary to minimize any risks” to aid his recovery.
Weeks later, Charles and wife Queen Camilla met with other cancer patients at a Cancer Research UK site. When one asked how Charles was doing, he replied, “Not too bad.”
By June, Camilla, 76, also gushed that her husband was “doing fine.”
“[He] won’t slow down and won’t do what he’s told,” she quipped.
Charles isn’t the only member of the royal family presently battling cancer as daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton confirmed her own diagnosis in March. She underwent chemotherapy treatment, which she finished in September.
“I didn’t know this year was going to be the year that I’ve just had,” she told attendees at her Together at Christmas carol service earlier this month. “The unplanned … but I think lots of people this year have had such challenging times, many who are here today.”
Kate, 42, has not publicly shared further details of her cancer battle and treatment.