A POIGNANT VISIT MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE CORONATION
With a warm smile and a jubilant wave, holding aloft a posy of flowers, the King returned to public duties with a touching display of support for fellow cancer sufferers.
His Majesty looked thrilled to be back out on engagements – and with his beloved wife the Queen at his side – merely three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis.
Coming days before the first anniversary of the coronation, the visit to the Macmillan Cancer Centre at London’s University College Hospital was a world away from the pomp and splendour of that historic day.
But it was nevertheless filled with warmth and summed up how much life has changed for the couple in the 12 months since they were crowned.
It also revealed a new depth of empathy from the King towards the patients and medical staff he has championed for many decades.
“He’s always been very sympathetic with people, but now meeting people with cancer while he has it himself, it’s very different,” royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!.. “The King is a fit man, he’s always taken care of himself, but cancer doesn’t discriminate. It certainly puts you on the same level as everyone else and he can now really empathise with fellow patients.”
WARM WELCOME
Looking a little paler than usual, the King wore a favourite tie decorated with tiny T-rex dinosaurs – a nod to his CR (Carolus Rex) cypher – and appeared touched by the warm reception from the crowds gathered to greet him. Clearly delighted to be back among the public, he shook hands with staff and patients on an impromptu walkabout in the lobby.
Upstairs, the royal couple sat with patients undergoing chemotherapy and the King opened up about his own diagnosis.
During a long conversation with Lesley Woodbridge, 63, who was having treatment for sarcoma, His Majesty reached out and held her hand. When she asked how he was, he replied: “Not too bad. It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you. I’ve got to have my treatment this afternoon as well.”
Lesley’s hu
