King Charles gets a kiss and cuddle from his niece on surprise visit
King Charles was spotted on a surprise visit at a royal horse show where he was pictured chatting with friends and family amid his cancer treatment.
The King also got a big hug from niece Zara Tindall during his stint to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The monarch braved the rain to make his third public visit of the week to the equestrian site which was Queen Elizabeth’s favourite.
Dressed in a classic beige trench coat with a green and navy tie, the King appeared in good spirits despite his ongoing cancer treatment.
He was seen smiling as he cracked a joke with Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.
The King met his niece overlooking the Royal Windsor Endurance course, in Windsor’s beautiful Great Park, which takes riders along landmarks like the famous Long Walk.
Among the royal group were Lord Soames, a long-time friend of the King, who served as his equerry when Charles was the Prince of Wales, comic Rory Bremner, former racing driver Jackie Stewart and ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
Charles was also pictured chatting to Simon Brooks-Ward, director of the Royal Windsor Horse Show, who knew the late Queen well.
While the Palace warned that Charles’s summer schedule will be lighter with public duties, his first week back to work has been busy.
On Wednesday, the King and Queen were presented with the Coronation Roll which recorded all the key events from their crowning last year.
King Charles’s cancer diagnosis
It comes just days after Charles visited a cancer unit with Queen Camilla on Tuesday as he returned to work since positive cancer treatment as an outpatient.
He spoke of his ‘shock’ after receiving the diagnosis, saying he was ‘well’ when asked how he was doing.
The Palace said that Charles’s diary will not be a full summer programme, but his attendance will be announced nearer the time and ‘subject to doctors’ advice’, with ‘adaptations made where necessary to minimise risk’ to his recovery.
It is understood the warmer weather would allow events to be staged outside and lower the risk posed by other people that many cancer patients face, PA reports.
He is reportedly hoping to ride his mare, Noble, for the Trooping the Colour event in June, The Sun said citing an insider source.
The King spent three nights at the London Clinic in January – the same private hospital where Kate Middleton stayed for almost two weeks after her abdominal surgery also in January.
After his diagnosis was announced on February 6, the monarch postponed all public engagements while he continued with his duties as head of state behind palace walls, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings, including meeting with the Prime Minister.
Kate is also undergoing treatment for cancer which she announced in March in a devastating video message.
The month of May appears to be off for a better start for the Royal Family as both Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis celebrated their birthdays.
Prince William and Kate released new birthday pictures of their children to mark the occasion, a tradition for the Waleses.
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