King Charles opens up on 'gratitude' for Duchess of Edinburgh in new statement as he misses royal outing

During a reception this evening celebrating health collaboration, the duchess delivered a speech recognising progress made in Tanzania to rid the country of trachoma - the infectious and blinding eye disease - and the work still to be done.

Sophie set the ambition for the elimination of trachoma across the Commonwealth by 2030 and delivered a short message from King Charles commending the ongoing efforts.

The speech read: "As Patron of one of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s members, ‘Sightsavers’, and knowing that The Duchess of Edinburgh is with you today in Tanzania, I particularly wanted you all to know how full of admiration and gratitude I am for your passion and devoted efforts in treating and preventing neglected tropical diseases, especially trachoma.

"Your constant dedication and hard work will lead us to a world where inclusion and equality can be realised across our Commonwealth.

"I send you all my warmest good wishes and heartfelt encouragement for the much-needed success of your gathering."

The speech was signed "Charles R" to indicate it was personally written by the monarch.

King Charles may have made the visit himself, however, he has had to limit his engagements amid his cancer treatment.

For example, he is visiting Australia next month on a royal tour with Queen Camilla, but has had to reduce his schedule.

The King and Queen were due to visit New Zealand, but this is no longer happening.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, who is very close to the King, has undertaken a busy year of engagements amid Charles and Princess Kate's cancer diagnoses.

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During her current tour of Tanzania, Sophie will see Dar es Salaam and visit Zanzibar and Arusha this week to see the work of Sightsavers, Uniting to Combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and the Alliance of Bioversity and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

The mother-of-two will meet the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and the President of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, as well as healthcare providers and members of local communities.

On the first day of her visit, Sophie visited Magomeni Health Centre in Dar es Salaam, a primary health facility offering essential sexual health and family planning services.

The duchess later visited the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit, meeting investigators, prosecutors and social welfare practitioners to hear about efforts to tackle child abuse in Tanzania and the care given to victims.