On Sunday, Britain’s King Charles III attended an Easter church service, his most high-profile public appearance since confirming his cancer diagnosis earlier in the year.
Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, arrived by automobile for the hour-long late morning service at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, located west of London.
The 75-year-old, clothed in a suit and light blue tie, smiled and waved to the people that had waited for hours to see the sick king before entering the chapel.
After the service, Charles and Camilla greeted some of the well-wishers who had gathered outside, shaking hands and briefly speaking with some of them.
The royals have a long tradition of attending the yearly religious event, and additional family members will be in attendance on Sunday.
But heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine were noteworthy absentees this year, since the 42-year-old Princess of Wales is receiving treatment for her own cancer diagnosis, which was revealed only last week.
The monarchy is facing an unprecedented dilemma in modern times, with two of its most senior members suffering from terrible illnesses at the same time.
Charles was only 17 months into his long-awaited reign when Buckingham Palace announced in early February that he had cancer and would postpone all public appearances while he underwent treatment.
He was admitted for surgery for a benign prostate problem in January, but was later diagnosed with an unrelated cancer.The type of cancer has not been revealed.
The monarch has continued his behind-the-scenes activity, having some in-person meetings and attending more official events.
This week, Francis released a pre-recorded Easter audio message, which was broadcast in his absence during a Maundy Thursday ceremony in Worcester Cathedral, central England, and emphasized the value of acts of friendship.
On Tuesday, the monarch was spotted welcoming community and church leaders to Buckingham Palace in central London.
Meanwhile, last week, images showed him meeting diplomats at the palace as well as Korean War veterans at two separate events.
Charles stated earlier this month that he would continue to serve “to the best of my ability” and that he had been “deeply touched” by people’s well-wishes for his health.
He thanked Kate, as she is commonly known, for her bravery last week, announcing in a video message that she was undergoing chemotherapy.
She was last seen at a public event on December 25 and underwent stomach surgery in January, during which cancer was discovered.
Her Kensington Palace staff stated at the time that she was not expected to be ready to resume public activities until after Easter.