King Charles and Queen Camilla made their first joint public appearance since the monarch’s moving cancer announcement last week, hosting a reception at St James’s Palace for the crew and families of HMS Prince of Wales. The warship returned to Portsmouth last month following a six-month Indo-Pacific deployment covering 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, South East Asia, Japan, and Australia.
Commander Tom Leonard described the event as “phenomenal,” praising the King’s personal interest in the crew’s service, their favourite ports of call, and the challenges faced by families during long deployments. He said: “King Charles asked about how people and their families felt when they came home, and the difficulties they were having. It was quite interesting, that personal touch.”
Captain Ben Power echoed the sentiment, calling the reception a “huge privilege” and noting Queen Camilla’s attentiveness. “She was very keen to understand the challenges the ship’s company faced in the Red Sea, and the level of support provided to those left at home,” he said.
The appearance comes just days after the King addressed the nation with an update on his cancer treatment, revealing that early detection and effective care meant he could scale back his treatment in the New Year. Buckingham Palace did not specify the type of cancer, though it confirmed it was not prostate cancer.
It has emerged that Queen Camilla initially advised against sharing the diagnosis publicly, wishing to protect the King from intense media scrutiny. Reports indicate that the Queen wanted the treatment to proceed quietly, but both she and the King now regard the openness as having a positive impact.
In his Channel 4 broadcast for Stand Up To Cancer 2025, of which he is patron, Charles emphasised the importance of early testing and urged viewers to take proactive health measures. The appeal had an immediate effect: within 24 hours, more than 100,000 people accessed the charity’s advice pages, echoing a similar surge after the palace announced his previous treatment for an enlarged prostate in January 2024.
The King’s positive news comes amid a wider context of royal engagement with cancer awareness. Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales confirmed she was in remission following preventative chemotherapy. Shortly after the King’s broadcast, the Princess visited the Ever After Garden in Chelsea, where members of the public can dedicate roses to loved ones lost to cancer; the garden has raised over £1.6 million since its opening in 2019.
The St James’s Palace reception highlighted the couple’s dual focus on service and empathy. As the head of state and the patron of numerous charitable initiatives, Charles used the occasion to connect personally with those who serve, while Queen Camilla’s support reinforced the family’s broader message of resilience, care, and advocacy for public health.
