Charles and Camilla broke up flight home from Samoa with India stopover
The move was part of guidance given to the King as he prioritises his cancer recovery.
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The King and Queen stopped off in India as they returned from their trip to Samoa as Charles followed advice to take periods of rest to prioritise his cancer recovery.
The 23-hour flight to India was to “break” their 33-hour journey from Samoa to England, Buckingham Palace said.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Their Majesties had a short private stopover in India to help break the long journey back from Samoa.”
It is understood the stopover was not connected to any sudden health scares but was part of the guidance given to the King to take periods of rest on the tour.
Both Charles and Camilla have visited India several times on official trips and on personal holidays.
Charles undertook the autumn tour from Friday October 18 to Saturday October 26, visiting Australia and Samoa.
The tour was pared down due to the 75-year-old monarch’s recent cancer diagnosis, which was announced by Buckingham Palace on February 5 this year.
The altered tour saw New Zealand removed from the schedule, a choice made “in collaboration” with the Australian and New Zealand governments.
The monarch was given a day to recover before starting the tour and no evening engagements were made, including state dinners.
His cancer requires regular medical management but doctors decided he was well enough to sanction the trip and pause his treatment until he returned to the UK.
Their Majesties arrived in the UK via an approximate nine-hour commercial flight on Wednesday morning.
Now he is home, the King will resume his treatment cycle.
The tour was Charles’s first visit to Australia as King. He visited Canberra and Sydney, receiving a mixed reception.
At Parliament House in Canberra, he was heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe, 51, who accused the King of “genocide” against the First Nations.
However, thousands of people arrived to greet Charles and Camilla at the Sydney Opera House.
The couple also visited the independent state of Samoa, where they attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting 2024.
In Samoa, Charles was honoured with a high chief title and, upon saying goodbye, said he will “always remain devoted to this part of the world”.
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