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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.
Charles’, second year as sovereign has been filled with health concerns, having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with ongoing treatment alongside his royal duties.
The King, 75, attended a church service to mark the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sunday, 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.
Zara Tindall’s children enjoy fun family day out supporting her at horse trials
Zara Tindall’s children enjoyed a fun family day out supporting their mother as she competed in an equestrian event in Lincolnshire.
Her husband, former rugby international Mike Tindall, accompanied their three young children to watch her appearance at the Burghley Horse Trials in Stamford on Saturday.
The couple’s son, Lucas, three, was seen cheekily climbing on the back of his uncle, Peter Phillips, and hanging around his neck while Peter clung onto a coffee cup. Lucas also enjoyed lying on the grass while playing with his sister, Lena, six.
The couple’s eldest daughter, Mia, 10, was spotted snapping photos of her father, who dressed casually for the occasion in a white t-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.
All three children smiled as they ran around the event with their father in tow.
The royal family has a lifelong love of horses, with Zara’s mother, the Princess Royal, becoming the first member of the family to compete at the Olympics in a three-day equestrian event at the 1976 Montreal games. Zara went on to win a silver Olympic medal when she competed at the London 2012 games.
How else is the anniversary of the Queen’s death being marked today?
The King and Queen attended a church service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral on Sunday on the second anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Prayers will be said for the King and the royal family hundreds of miles away at services in London’s Westminster Abbey – the scene of the late Queen’s final farewell at her funeral 11 days after her death.
The gothic abbey’s bells will also ring out to mark the King’s accession anniversary, as is the custom.
Gun salutes are usually fired on Accession Day, but because this year it 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 upon the death of Elizabeth II, with almost all of the soldiers and horses taking part playing a role in the Queen’s funeral and the proclamation of the King.
Starmer pays tribute to late Queen
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the second anniversary of her death.
The prime minister wrote on X/Twitter: “Today marks two years since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. 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.”
Songs Of Praise filmed at Balmoral church for first time
The Scottish church where Queen Elizabeth II worshipped has hosted the BBC’s Songs Of Praise programme for the first time to mark the second anniversary of her death.
The special programme, due to be screened on Sunday, features a hymn commissioned by the King called Crathie in honour of the building.
During the programme, presenter Claire McCollum meets Crathie’s minister and chaplain to the monarch, Reverend Ken MacKenzie, to reflect on the late Queen’s deep faith and how she always felt part of his congregation.
He will take the broadcaster on a historical tour of the kirk, including the foundation stone laid by Queen Victoria in 1893 and the royal pews where the King and Queen Camilla regularly worship.
The King’s ‘rollercoaster year’ filled with family health challenges
The King faced a “rollercoaster” second year as sovereign, with the Queen proving herself the “star of the show” thanks to her support for her husband and the monarchy, a royal expert has said.
Sunday is the second anniversary of Charles’s accession to the throne and the loss of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The year 2024 looked set to offer a chance for the King and the royal family to settle in amid the aftermath the late Queen’s death and the King’s accession in 2022 and the hectic demands of the coronation in 2023.
But the health blows faced by Charles and the Princess of Wales torpedoed any plans for a run-of-the-mill year.
Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said: “Nobody saw those things coming and they had a profound impact. It has been a rollercoaster year for the King, not just for him, but for his family, and it will have been of great concern to the Queen.
“Nonetheless he has been remarkably active for someone with his condition and given his age.
“He hasn’t really let the treatment hold him back, but I’m sure he hasn’t done anything near as much as he would have liked to have done.”
King and Queen leave Balmoral service
The King and Queen have left Crathie Kirk by car after the hour-long service.
Also at the service was Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, who had stayed overnight at Balmoral Castle as a guest of the King.
Preacher at Balmoral church service describes ‘poignant’ anniversary for royals
The guest preacher at the service attended by the King and Queen described the anniversary as “particularly significant and poignant for the royal family”.
Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said he had remembered the royal family in his prayers during his sermon, and it was a privilege to preach to the King, the Queen and rest of the congregation.
After the service, he described how the King was “very well known and liked” in the local community around Balmoral and is “very much part of it”, just like the late Queen.
Dr 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.”
How the day Charles became King played out following Elizabeth II’s death
The King acceded to the throne two years ago, immediately upon the death of the late Queen.
One Thursday September 8 2022, rumours begin to reach newsrooms early in the morning that the Queen has taken ill at Balmoral Castle, and possibly had a fall.
At 10.30am, the then-Prince of Wales made a 120-mile dash by helicopter from Dumfries House to Balmoral after being alerted to the Queen’s worsening condition. Charles visited his mother and later went foraging for mushrooms on the estate as he contemplated his accession and imminent duty as king.
At 3.10pm, Elizabeth II – the nation’s longest reigning monarch – died at the age of 96 in her bedroom in the castle, with Anne at her bedside.
Charles, who immediately became King, was at the wheel of his car on his way to Balmoral after his mushroom-foraging trip on his Birkhall estate. He pulledover to take the phone call, confirming the news, in which he was addressed as “Your Majesty” for the first time.
He received condolences from Camilla, the new Queen, and others accompanying them. He put the car into gear and continues the drive to Balmoral.
At 7.04pm, Charles issued his first statement as King, and describes his mother’s death as “a moment of the greatest sadness”.
Tourists gather to see King arrive at Balmoral church
One of those who gathered to see the King arrive at Crathie Kirk was Diane Brandish, a tourist visiting Scotland from Christchurch in New Zealand.
She said catching sigh of the King was an unexpected “bonus” in her holiday, saying: “We happened to be coming by and I didn’t realise that King Charles would be here.”
She added: “Most people in New Zealand follow the royal family quite closely and are aware of the anniversary.”
Diane and her husband saw the King waving at the crowd as he entered the church, saying “he was very gracious”.
Royal family pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth
The royal family has paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the second anniversary of her death.
The monarchy’s official social media account posted a photograph on X of the late Queen, in a pink hat and matching outfit, smiling at a summer Buckingham Palace garden party in 2019, alongside the words: “Remembering Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022.”
Source: independent.co.uk
