King Charles is expected to attend the traditional Easter Sunday church service later, in one of his few appearances since last month’s cancer diagnosis.
The 75-year-old monarch, who will be at the Windsor Castle service with Queen Camilla, has recently stepped back from major public duties while receiving outpatient treatment.
Buckingham Palace says he is continuing with state business, including weekly meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, however.
Last Thursday he spoke during the Royal Maundy Service in Worcester but it was via a pre-recorded video address.
He stressed the importance of acts of friendship “especially in a time of need”, in words that were interpreted as reflecting on the nation’s response to his health challenges.
He said last month that he had been reduced to tears by the messages and cards of support he had received.
The words could also have been talking about the reaction to his daughter-in-law Kate, who revealed last week that she has started preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
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Her video message sharing the news was one of the few times she had been seen in public this year since planned abdominal surgery in January.
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She, her husband William and their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Louis – will not be at today’s church service.
William’s younger brother Harry and his family will also not be there, as they remain settled in the US.
Prince Andrew and his daughters are expected to attend, as are the Princess Royal, and the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – Edward and Sophie.
