Royal family - news: King Charles health update given amid hopes for Kate Middleton to have ‘autumn comeback’
The royal family mark the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death
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The King’s health is “heading in a very positive trajectory”, royal sources have said, as he marks the second anniversary of his accession to the throne.
The monarch, 75, attended a church service near Balmoral on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, which also marks the start of his reign.
Charles’ second year as sovereign has been filled with health concerns, having been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer earlier this year. He is said to be recovering well and is preparing for a his first major overseas trip to Australia and Samoa in the autumn.
“Health has to remain the number one priority, albeit heading in a very positive trajectory,” the royal source said.
It comes as his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales, who was also diagnosed with cancer this year, is reportedly hoping to make a return to public life in the coming months.
Kate, 42, has made two official public appearances since her diagnosis – attending Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the Wimbledon men’s trophy in July.
According to The Times, it is understood she is hoping to join the royal family at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and host her Christmas carol concert.
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Sir Ian McKellen says ‘he’s most definitely on Prince Harry’s side’
Sir Ian McKellen has asserted his support for Prince Harry as the duke’s estrangement with his brother and father continues.
The veteran British actor, 85, told The Times he believed Harry isn’t “bright enough” to deal wit the turmoils of royal life.
Reportedly pointing to a copy of Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, in his east London home, Sir Ian said: “I’m most definitely on Harry’s side.”
He added: “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve been in public life a bit, but these people are in prison. They can’t do anything normal. Can you imagine having to be nice to everyone you talk to?”
“Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world,” he said.
“Like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I suspect deeply unhappy. Same with the present king. He sort of survives, but he is clearly damaged. As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself.
“Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he’s got the right one.”
Ian McKellen claims Queen Elizabeth was rude to him
Sir Ian McKellen has claimed the late Queen Elizabeth II was “quite rude to him” on the occasions they met.
The veteran British actor, 85, was knighted for services to the performing arts in 1991 and had met the Queen at least once when she personally appointed him Companion of Honour (CH) for his services to drama and to equality in 2008.
The Lord Of The Rings actor said he thinks the late monarch was “quite mad at the end” as he described some unpleasant encounters with her.
“The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end. And on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude,” he told The Times. “When I received a medal for acting (the Companion of Honour in 2008), she said, ‘You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time’.
“I said, ‘Well, not as long as you.’ I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’.
“That’s bloody rude when you’re giving someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f*** about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’”
The Burnley-born actor went on to demonstrate how the late Queen shook his hand, claiming she “shoved” him away as he offered his hand and added: “That was her handshake and it meant, ‘Go! Go!’”
Full story: Sir Ian McKellen says ‘he’s most definitely on Prince Harry’s side’ as he reveals late Queen was ‘rude to me’
Sir Ian McKellen has claimed the late Queen Elizabeth II was “quite rude to him” on the occasions they met.
The veteran British actor, 85, was knighted for services to the performing arts in 1991 and had met the Queen at least once when she personally appointed him Companion of Honour (CH) for his services to drama and to equality in 2008.
The Lord Of The Rings actor said he thinks the late monarch was “quite mad at the end” as he described some unpleasant encounters with her.
Read the full story here:
Ian McKellen: The late Queen was rude to me and I’m on Prince Harry’s side
The Lord Of The Rings actor said he thinks the late Queen was ‘quite mad at the end’
Pictured: King and Queen at the Highland Games
King and Queen share smiles at Highland Games
The King and Queen smiled as they attended the annual Braemar Gathering Highland Games in Scotland, one day before his accession anniversary.
Charles was dressed in a tweed jacket and a navy, red and green kilt, and Camilla wore a navy dress with a feather pattern with a feathered hat.
The couple were seen smiling as they chatted at Saturday’s event, held a short distance from their summer residence at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
Before their arrival, competitors took part in traditional Highland Games including tug-of-war and the caber toss, and enjoyed performances by bagpipers, drummers and dancers.
The event, held on the first Saturday in September, has been running in its present form since 1832 and has been attended regularly by the reigning monarch and other members of the royal family since 1848.
This year’s Games was the second time the King has appeared as monarch at the event, having frequently attended while he was the Duke of Rothesay.
New memorial in Sr James’s Park to be built in memory of Queen Elizabeth
Ahead of the anniversary of her death, Sir Keir Starmer has shared further details of a memorial to stand in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.
The prime minister said a new national memorial in her honour, which will stand in St James’s Park in the heart of London, will provide “everyone with a place to honour the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish”.
The site, approved by Charles and the Prime Minister, was chosen because of its closeness to the ceremonial route of The Mall, and Buckingham Palace, and its historical and constitutional significance, but also because of a poignant personal connection to the late Queen – the nearby statues of her beloved parents.
King clocks up more than 100 days of engagements in scaled-back second year
The King’s second year as monarch has been less hectic than his first, with cancer treatment understandably having an impact on his schedule, though he has still undertaken dozens of visits, meetings and events.
Charles has carried out official engagements on 132 days during the past year, compared with 161 days in the previous 12 months.
The second year of his reign can be divided roughly into three sections: a full schedule during the autumn of 2023, with trips around the UK as well as to France, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, a period out of the public eye following his prostate operation in January 2024 and subsequent diagnosis of cancer, and a gradual return to regular activity from May onwards, including visits to Scotland and the Channel Islands.
The figures have been compiled by the PA news agency using the Court Circular, which is the official record of the royal family’s daily activities.
King’s health ‘heading in positive trajectory’ ahead of accession anniversary
The King reaches the second anniversary of his accession to the throne and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday, with his health “heading in a very positive trajectory”, a royal source has said.
The King, who is still considered a “newbie monarch” in comparison with his mother’s record-breaking tenure, endured a bombshell second year as sovereign, being diagnosed with cancer and dealing with ongoing treatment.
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.
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 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.
Harry ‘to receive millions’ on 40th birthday from Queen Mother
The Duke of Sussex is set to receive millions from the late Queen Mother when he celebrates his 40th birthday next week.
Prince Harry will reportedly become eligible to receive a large sum on September 15 from a trust set up by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother when he was ten years old.
An estimated £19 million was set aside by the dukes great-grandmother to be shared between her grandchildren, The Times reports.
Citing contemporary reports, the newspaper claimed William and Harry were set to receive £6 million between them when they turned 21 and a further £8 million when they turned 40. It is believed Harry would receive a larger share as William would benefit from the income from the Duchy of Cornwall.
A former Palace aide told The Times: “There was a trust fund set up at the time. It was a way in which the Queen Mother could set aside money for when her great-grandchildren were older and a way of passing a slice of her estate down in a tax-efficient way. It was a way in which some of her estate could be ring-fenced for them.”
Reports name Zara and Peter Phillips, Beatrice, Eugenie, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto as the other beneficiaries of the fund.
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