The King will greet the public today for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.
He plans to walk to and from George’s Chapel, in Windsor, in a ‘gentle’ return to his royal duties with some modifications for an Easter church service.
Charles, 75, will join Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family.
The move is a ‘gentle’ return to public life, a royal source told the Telegraph.
He will sit slightly apart from the rest of the congregation and aims to wave and greet people gathered outside from a distance.
His attendance is a ‘sign of things heading in the right direction’, the source said, dubbing the plans ‘Easter lite’ as the King will not host a reception afterwards as he would usually.
It is only just over a week since Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, released an emotional video message disclosing that she had herself started a course of preventative chemotherapy.
She, Prince William as well as their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who all attended last year, will miss the service today to spend the Easter holidays privately.
Kate’s diagnosis was discovered in post-operative tests after major abdominal surgery, similarly to the King’s diagnosis happening incidentally after a surgical procedure.
King Charles’s attendance at church will be seen as a move to reassure the public after the shock news about his daughter-in-law.
The service will be a smaller version of the annual gathering, with fewer members of the royal family.
Although the Easter service is within the grounds of the castle, the King and Queen will be seen arriving by the media.
Arrivals at the chapel’s Galilee Porch are often watched by staff living at Windsor, who usually gather on a grassy bank nearby or watch from their doorsteps.
The King’s own treatment for cancer was announced at the start of February, but he has been carrying out low-key official duties behind palace walls.
He was described by the Palace as being ‘so proud’ of Kate for her courage in speaking out, and is said to be in ‘the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law’.
Queen Elizabeth II is buried in the tiny King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor, with the Duke of Edinburgh and her parents George VI and the Queen Mother. Their names are inscribed on a new black stone slab set in the floor.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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