King Charles to resume 'full programme of international travel' in major health update amid cancer battle

The trip saw His Majesty’s first overseas trip to a realm where he reigns as Head of State, and to a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as the institution’s head.

A senior palace official told GB News: “We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour program for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms.”

Doctors have given The King, and his staff, the green light to begin preparations to carry out two international tours in the spring and autumn of 2025, but will be subject to medical advice nearer the time.

The Foreign Office has been informed The King is well enough to travel overseas next year, and Buckingham Palace is awaiting government proposals on where to send His Majesty in their mission to promote Britain on the global stage.

The King and Queen proved a big hit with Australian citizens, many of which were turned away from an official meet and greet outside the Sydney Opera House because the venue had reached its 10,000 capacity.

Police, instead, directed the excess well wishers to the nearby botanical gardens to watch the royal occasion from a distance.

Throughout King Charles’ nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa, he has continued to work through his red boxes of state papers, which had to be physically flown from London, thousands of miles away.

Despite His Majesty’s gruelling schedule of public engagements, and busying himself behind the scenes with paperwork, he has kept his mind active.

A senior palace official told GB News it’s “a great measure of the way that the king is dealing with his [cancer] diagnosis, and he’s a great believer in mind, body and soul, and this combination works very well on a visit like this, because he feels that sense of duty so strongly.”

“It’s hard to overstate the joy that he takes from duty and service and being in public and seeing those crowds engaging with communities across the spectrum.”

“That really does lift his spirits. You can see that.”

Despite the gruelling schedule, special rest breaks were factored in to keep His Majesty’s energy levels up.

In Sydney, Charles and Camilla were spotted casually strolling through the gardens of Admiralty House, where they were staying.

In Samoa, a tropical island paradise, it is understood the King enjoyed a good book to relax into.

The Queen, in particular, is thought to have enjoyed the warm weather, and has supported her husband throughout the tour.

“The King gets great strength from the Queen being there,” a senior palace official said, “not least because she keeps it real.”

When New Zealand was taken off the itinerary on medical advice at an early stage, The King and Queen were said to be extremely disappointed.

A Private Audience, however, was scheduled between His Majesty and New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luzon, in Samoa on Friday.

Despite his health troubles, The King was determined to make the long journey to the other side of the world.

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A senior palace official explained: “I think it’s a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so.”

His programme of engagements highlighted his passions - combating climate change, spending time with communities, experiencing different cultures and, of course, the Commonwealth.

The King “genuinely loved” this tour, and “thrived” on the program, according to the same official.

They added that the tour has been a “perfect tonic” to lift The King’s “spirits, his mood and his recovery.”

His Majesty will resume his cancer treatment when he returns to London.