The palace stated that King Charles and the Princess of Wales received a large number of get-well cards following their cancer diagnosis.
This year has been challenging for the royal family, with Charles and Kate undergoing treatment and stepping down from public obligations.
The duo supported each other through the tough news, and the palace received 27,000 written letters wishing them well.
When the elder royals announced their diagnoses earlier this year, youngsters lined the streets with hand-drawn displays of solidarity.
June photos showed Charles reading some of the 27,000 cards and being “brought to tears” by the national sentiments.
Several people wrote to him about their sickness experiences or for guidance. Someone advised him to “Chin up, chest out, stay positive, and don’t let it get you down.” I swear it helps, but family matters most.”
A statement made by the palace in the annual report on the Sovereign Grant, which was made public on Wednesday, stated that support staff “adapted swiftly” to the changing health conditions in a variety of ways, including dealing with a significantly increased amount of correspondence.
According to Sir Michael Stevens, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, the staff received approximately 27,000 messages of well-wishes for the King and Princess of Wales after the announcements about their health. This is an increase from the 31,000 kind messages that had been received for The Coronation, bringing the total number of correspondences for the years 2023–24 to 138,000 items.
His Majesty has said that “such encouraging and comforting thoughts have been the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
The report also disclosed the manner in which treatment had an effect on the total number of official engagements that the royal family as a whole participated in during the course of the previous year.
The royal family attended 2,327 events in total, which is 400 fewer visits than they made to 2,710 events the year before. The King and Queen participated in a total of 665 formal engagements by themselves.
As Sir Michael said, “The unfortunate news that both His Majesty the King and The Princess of Wales would be temporarily withdrawing from public-facing duties came to light in the early part of the year 2024.” This was done in order to give priority to the treatment and rehabilitation of the two individuals who were battling cancer.
The number and nature of engagements that had been planned were inevitably affected as a result of this. However, I would like to express how encouraging it is to see The King back performing so many public duties and, more recently, The Princess performing similarly well enough to participate in The King’s Birthday Parade and the Men’s Wimbledon Final.
Even if his daughter-in-law had returned to public life earlier, the King had already returned. In June, she made her debut in public for the first time during the Trooping of the Colour, which was Charles’ formal birthday celebration. A few weeks later, she made her debut at Wimbledon.
She brought Princess Charlotte, who is nine years old, to the final day of the competition, where she received a standing ovation for her performance in Centre Court.
There was also an update on her work that she presented yesterday, which was a celebration of the new gardens that were opened at the Natural History Museum in London, which she is a patron of.
“I am hugely supportive of the museum’s commitment to create a special space that encourages people of all ages to reconnect with nature and learn more about how we can protect our natural world,” she said in a statement, alluding to the fact that she is still dealing with her illness.
I am aware of the power that nature possesses to promote our growth and well-being, not only by having the ability to offer us joy but also by assisting us in maintaining our bodily, mental, and spiritual health.
It is my goal that these gardens will serve as a source of motivation and transformation.