King 'greatly encouraged’ by return to public duties

We'll be bringing our live coverage to a close shortly, so here's everything you need to know this evening:

• King Charles will resume some public-facing duties from next week, Buckingham Palace says, following a "period of treatment and recuperation" after being diagnosed with cancer
• The King is "greatly encouraged" by the news, according to a palace spokesperson
• His first appearance will be a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre with Queen Camilla on Tuesday

• But it won't be a full return to official engagements for the King just yet, as decisions about his attendance at specific events will be made according to medical advice nearer the time
• "It is too early to say" how much longer his treatment will continue, the palace says, but doctors are "sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far"
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says it is "brilliant news to end the week", while Labour leader Keir Starmer says he is "delighted" at the King's return

For more on this story, you can read our article on today's announcement, find out more about the King's cancer treatment, or his day-to-day duties.

This live page was brought to you by Andrew Humphrey, Emily Atkinson, Alex Smith, Joshua Cheetham and Seher Asaf.

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The King's powers are largely symbolic and ceremonial.

He receives daily dispatches from the government - including briefings ahead of important meetings, or documents needing his signature.

And while he remains politically neutral, he does have a number of official parliamentary roles, including giving new pieces of legislation Royal Assent - passing them in to law.

The King will usually meet with the prime minister every Wednesday at Buckingham Palace, and regularly hosts visiting foreign leaders and ambassadors.

You can read more about the King's role, and how his cancer treatment has impacted his duties, here.

The King started a course of regular treatment after his cancer was diagnosed in February. Like everyone else, the details of the monarch’s treatment are private, and we do not know the type of care he's receiving.

Buckingham Palace says his "treatment programme" will continue for now and that it's too early to say how long that might last.

Cancer treatments come in many different forms and the reasons for giving each treatment can vary.

In general, continued treatment might be to prevent cancer from recurring, to put cancer in remission or help control cancer progression, for example.

Some types of treatment are more intensive - requiring lots of hospital trips - and have more side-effects than others. Others can be given at home.

There are many different ways of tackling cancer.

It can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, to remove and destroy cancerous cells. Often a combination of different approaches is used.

Some people may receive cancer treatment for weeks, months or years and follow-up care can be very important – including scans and regular checks.

While the King will be returning to some public-facing duties from next week, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be back to having a full calendar.

Decisions about individual events will be made according to medical advice nearer the time, the palace says.

Therefore, it remains uncertain if he will be attending some of the big events coming up in the calendar, such as:

• Trooping the Colour
• The D-Day commemorations
• Summer garden parties
• Royal Ascot
• Overseas trips in the autumn

News of the King's return to public duties has been well received by people outside Buckingham Palace this evening.

You can watch what they had to say above.

After the King's cancer diagnosis was announced, he stopped public-facing duties, but was still occasionally pictured out and about:

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Some more reaction now.

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, says it's "wonderful to see the King returning to public duties and making progress in battling this awful disease".

In a post on X, Davey says he and his party "wish [the King] and the Princess of Wales well in their recoveries".

Catherine is also in the early stages of treatment after a cancer diagnosis.

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King Charles is "really looking forward to" returning to his duties, according to royal commentator and author Katie Nicholl.

Speaking to our colleagues the BBC News channel, Nicholl says sources tell her one of the events the King is "determined" to go to is Royal Ascot - taking place in June.

The King has "been somewhat frustrated" by having to have to "put work on the back burner", she says, especially so soon after becoming monarch.

The announcement of his return to public-facing duties "points to something very optimistic", says Nicholl.

More well wishes are coming in from politicians around the UK, following the news that King Charles will return to some public duties.

Home Secretary James Cleverly and security minister Tom Tugendhat hail the "fantastic news" in posts on X, formerly Twitter.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, adds: "This is wonderful news and it’s so good to see the King and Queen seizing the moment to raise awareness of cancer."

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When his diagnosis was made public, Buckingham Palace said a number of the King's public engagements would be rearranged or postponed.

He and Queen Camilla attended an Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, and Camilla has continued to attend a number of public events.

But throughout his treatment, the King has continued to hold private meetings as head of state and complete official paperwork.

His regular weekly meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have also continued - although, not all have been in person.

If it became the case that the King was not able to carry out his official duties for a temporary period, two or more members of the Royal Family would be appointed as Counsellors of State, to act in his place.

They could include the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh.

You can read more on this here.

The King joins the legions of people around the world living with cancer.

It's a diagnosis that impacts not just your health but your social, family and working life too.

After taking some time off, His Majesty will shortly return to public-facing duties.

Notably, his first visit next week being to a cancer treatment centre.

He now understands first hand what living with cancer can entail, although the journey is different for each individual affected.

His may not be the typical story, but he says he is deeply grateful for the kindness and good wishes that he has received since going public about it.

There is practical support and information out there for people trying to navigate their way, juggle cancer treatment alongside all the daily responsibilities of life, like the paying bills.

Emotional support is vital too. You may want to talk to someone you know well - a partner or friend - or perhaps someone you don not know so well, like your doctor or specialist nurse.

Some organisations like Mind and MacMillan can offer this type of support too.

The King and Queen's upcoming duties also include hosting Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan in June for a state visit, the Palace says.

The King has visited Japan a number of times and was present at the Emperor's enthronement.

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Keir Starmer is among those sharing their well wishes to the King after his latest announcement.

In a social post, the Labour leader said he was "delighted to see His Majesty looking so well, and returning to public duties."

Since his diagnosis, King Charles’ biggest public engagement took place after Easter Sunday service in Windsor.

Following the service in St George’s Chapel, the King spoke to crowds and shook people's hands.

He was joined by Queen Camilla, who has been carrying a number of solo royal engagements in her husband's absence.

The Easter church service is a regular feature of the royal calendar. It is usually attended by many senior royals, but the Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend, as Catherine continues her own cancer treatment.

In the latest information released by Buckingham Palace, the tone has remained positive – as it has since the King was diagnosed with cancer in February.

The Palace says the King’s medical team “are very encouraged” about his continued recovery.

His doctors say they are “sufficiently pleased” with the progress made so far, meaning that the 75 year-old Monarch is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.

The Palace will continue to get frequent advice from The King’s medical team to help minimise any possible risks to his recovery.

He will not take on a full Summer programme, for example.

King Charles has a fit and active lifestyle in general, with few reported medical problems.

His cancer was spotted incidentally – by chance - while undergoing a medical procedure for benign (non-cancerous) prostate enlargement.

Experts know that catching and treating cancer early gives the best chance of a good recovery.

Buckingham Palace has said he will continue on his “treatment programme” for now.

Like everyone else, the King’s medical details are private. We don’t have any more details.

Along with the announcement about the King's return to public duties, Buckingham Palace has also released this photo of King Charles and Queen Camilla in the palace gardens.

It was taken on 10 April, a day after their wedding anniversary, to mark the first anniversary of their Coronation.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the King's return to public-facing duties is "brilliant news to end the week!"

The prime minister made the comments in a post on X, shortly after the announcement.

Buckingham Palace says the King's diary will be "carefully calibrated" as his recovery continues.

His medical team will be in close consultation and make sure he gets all the treatment he needs.

They won't want any of his duties to hinder that progress - his engagements can be adapted, if necessary.

Cancer, and the treatments given stop it, can cause extreme tiredness or fatigue. And that can vary throughout the day, with each day being different.

Positive signals are being sent by Buckingham Palace about the King’s cancer treatment, in what are the first official comments on his health since his diagnosis.

His progress is sufficiently encouraging to say that from next week he’s beginning a return to public engagements.

However it’s a cautious optimism.

Because the King’s cancer treatment is still continuing, with no date set for its conclusion. There’s also no confirmation about his attendance at some of the big summer events, such as Trooping the Colour, the garden parties and the D-Day commemoration.

So it’s not completely back to business as usual.

But the King, who always seems to enjoy meeting the crowds, is said to be “greatly encouraged” to be getting back to his public engagements.