King Charles met with fellow cancer patient Sir Chris Hoy as the monarch officially launched the King's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace, marking the start of the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The King, 76, handed the wooden baton to the six-time Olympic cycling champion, 48, who disclosed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, which had then become terminal with doctors giving him between two and four years to live.
The ceremony took place on Monday with 500 days to go before the sporting event begins and coincided with the annual Commonwealth Day Service today at Westminster Abbey.
In February, the King previously featured in an emotional video starring Sir Chris Hoy and Amy Dowden to mark World Cancer Day, a year after he was diagnosed with cancer himself.
King Charles met with fellow cancer patient Sir Chris Hoy as the monarch officially launched the King's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace
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Today, Charles shared a laugh with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as he greeted guests in the palace's Marble Hall.
During the ceremony, the King placed his message for the Commonwealth Games into the Scottish ash wood baton, which was sealed.
The message will remain inside the sustainably sourced baton until it is read out at the opening ceremony.
The King then handed the baton to Hoy, who walked through the palace's Quadrangle with a guard of honour provided by pipers wearing kilts.
King Charles handed a wooden baton to Sir Chris Hoy
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Speaking after the event, Hoy said: "It's pretty special. I wanted to slow it down and not rush it too much."
"It's a very kind of private and intimate ceremony, almost there's not thousands of people here, but it feels very special to be part of it."
He added that Glasgow hosting the Games again was "fantastic for Scotland".
Hoy said: "I think it's showing that Scotland can and does put on world class events in sport, and it only inspires us."
The ceremony featured four initial baton bearers alongside Hoy.
These included Scottish Paralympic athlete Sammi Kinghorn, Royal Commonwealth Society volunteer Keiran Healy, and Gabriella Wood, a judoka from Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago will be the first destination for the relay.
For the first time, all 74 Commonwealth nations will receive their own uniquely designed baton, each featuring a different word from the King's message.
King Charles led the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey earlier today
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The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026.
It will feature a ten-sport programme with athletes from 74 nations and territories.
The Scottish City was announced as the Games host for the second time after Victoria, Australia withdrew.
First Minister John Swinney noted that Scotland stepped in late after Australia withdrew, saying the Games will be "different" in "size and scale".
