King Charles III and Queen Camilla have extended their warm season greeting on Instagram amid the monarch’s health struggles.
In the Christmas card shared on Instagram, King Charles III and Queen Camilla are smiling for the camera. The message on the card read, “Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and New Year.” The photo was clicked in April.
The note shared along with the card read, “Christmas is coming…Their Majesties are pleased to share this year’s Christmas card, taken by Millie Pilkington in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace in April 2024.”
This Christmas wish comes nearly nine months after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer during a “routine hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement.” Following the announcement, the monarch briefly stepped back from public engagements to undergo treatment. At the time, Buckingham Palace stated that the King remained optimistic about his treatment and was eager to return to his royal duties as soon as he was able to do so.
By April 2024, King Charles was able to resume his royal commitments, beginning with a visit to a cancer treatment centre to meet with patients and medical staff. In June 2024, the King and Queen hosted a State Visit for the Emperor and Empress of Japan, marking an important diplomatic event.
Buckingham Palace also expressed gratitude in a statement, saying, “Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.”
Charles’ health battle was also part of a difficult year for the royal family, which included Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis. Following her abdominal surgery in January 2024, the Princess of Wales, 42, revealed her diagnosis in March. Kate took time away from public events for treatment but gradually resumed her duties, making a public appearance at the Trooping the Colour parade in June 2024. By September, she announced that her chemotherapy was complete and she had finished her treatment.
Charles and Camilla took the monarchy in May 2023 after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.