King Charles III ‘Frustrated’ By Speed of Cancer Recovery, Keen to ‘Get Back to Normality’

As the world continues to process the news that Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer, the royal family is also dealing with the reality of its patriarch, King Charles III, undergoing treatment as he too battles the disease. On Thursday, Queen Camilla gave an update on her husband’s condition during a royal visit to Belfast, telling well-wishers that His Majesty is “doing very well.” Now, Charles' nephew, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, has shared another, albeit more detailed, update on the King's health.

In a new sit-down interview with Sky News Australia, conducted as Phillips visits the country due to his role as an ambassador of the sports organization ISPS Handa, the royal family member shared that the King is eager to return to work.

“He’s in good spirits. Ultimately, he’s hugely frustrated that he can’t get on and do everything that he wants to be able to do. But he is very pragmatic, he understands that there’s a period of time that he really needs to focus on himself,” Phillips told host Caroline Di Russo.

“But at the same time, he is always pushing his staff and everybody, his doctors and nurses, to be able to say, ‘Actually, can I do this and can I do that?’ The overriding message would be that he’s obviously very keen to get back to a form of normality and is probably frustrated that recovery is taking a little longer than probably he would want it to.”

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Feb. 5, whereby the public was informed that the King had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, it was revealed that His Majesty “has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties” as he maintains a “schedule of regular treatments.”

Phillips also spoke of the support shared by the public for both King Charles and Kate, saying it has "been hugely heartening." He went on to call the Princess of Wales "remarkable" and said Kate and Prince William "make a fantastic team together," commending how they balance public life and parenting their three young children—George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5.

The update from Phillips comes shortly after the Princess of Wales announced her own diagnosis of an undisclosed type of cancer. In a video message released to the public on Friday, March 22, Kate said she is currently undergoing “preventative chemotherapy” after cancer was discovered following a planned abdominal surgery in January.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I’m so grateful,” the Princess shared.

“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately, for the sake of our young family… It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment, but most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to [our children] George, Charlotte, and Louis, in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK.”

Much like Charles, Kate also expressed an interest in returning to work when she is well enough to do so. “My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I’m able, but for now, I must focus on making a full recovery,” she said.