King Charles steps out to attend Sunday service with Queen Camilla at church in Sandringham after shock cancer diagnosis

King Charles appeared in high spirits this morning as he attended St Mary Magdalene Church just hours after breaking his silence over his shocking cancer diagnosis.

The monarch, 75, smiled and waved at a crowd of more than 100 well-wishers as he walked into the Sandringham Estate Chapel alongside his wife Queen Camilla, 76, before being greeted by rev Canon Paul Williams.

Wearing his signature long brown coat and using an umbrella as a walking stick, the King strolled at his usual brisk pace for the 11am service at the Norfolk estate.

Crowds, who gathered to show the couple support following Charles’ diagnosis watched on from behind locked gates, said he ‘seemed like he was doing really well’.

Last night the King offered his ‘heartfelt thanks’ to the British public for their ‘many messages of support and good wishes’ almost a week after it emerged he was being treated for a ‘form of cancer’. 

In a letter published by Sandringham House, where he has been staying since leaving the London Clinic on January 29, he said he was ‘heartened’ to hear his experience is inspiring others up and down the country to get themselves checked. 

The note, signed by Charles R, reads: ‘I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days.

‘As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.

‘It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world.

‘My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.’

The King was seen in public for the first time since his cancer diagnosis on Tuesday as he left Clarence House the day after starting his treatment, following a brief reunion with the Duke of Sussex. 

Buckingham Palace confirmed the King, who only acceded to the throne 17 months ago, does not have prostate cancer, saying only that he has a ‘form of cancer’. 

He was diagnosed after a ‘separate issue of concern was noted’ and was investigated while he was being treated for his benign enlarged prostate. 

The King will continue resting at the Norfolk estate where he has been based since leaving hospital following his prostate treatment. 

Those who gathered at the estate this morning said that the King appeared on good form considering the circumstances.

Andy Frost, 48, of Cromer, Norfolk, who was in the crowd, said: ‘The King really didn’t look too bad when you think of what he has been going through.

‘We normally come here about two or three times a year to visit Sandringham House, but today we thought we would come and see how the King is. He was walking very well, and actually looked better than I thought he would. It was lovely to see him.’

Mr Frost’s wife Eileen added: ‘He looked quite well. He waved at everyone and seemed like he was doing really well.’

Laura Barron of Sunbury, Surrey, who was with her son Hugo, eight, and eight-month-old daughter Beth said: ‘We are on holiday in the area, so we thought we would come to see the King.

‘He was walking along normally, and he really looked better than I thought he would. We didn’t get very close, but he certainly looks smart and able to walk confidently.’

Last night, friends revealed that ‘workaholic’ Charles will most likely be spending his time indulging in two of his favourite hobbies  – walking and water painting – while trying to take it easy.

All public engagements have been cancelled but those close to the monarch joked that he will continue to work through his ‘red boxes’ of paperwork ‘before he’s had his boiled egg in the morning.’ 

A friend told the Mail: ‘Boredom will be one of the hardest things for him.’ 

Another said the King will likely to spend some his time listening to his beloved records of the late Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, specifically the poetic song Take This Waltz, which he has described as ‘very moving’. 

It is understood the King will return to London for a couple of days at the start of this week for a medical appointment and it has been reported that he is well enough to hold face-to-face meetings in the capital. 

Charles might be staying at Wood Farm – a five-bedroom property on the Sandringham estate – where there would be fewer people around to make ‘a fuss’.

Cancer charities have seen a surge in interest following the King’s diagnosis, with Macmillan Cancer Support adding it had seen a 42 per cent spike in visits for information since his diagnosis.

The charity’s chief executive said: ‘We hope that by sharing his diagnosis so publicly and at such an early stage, the King will encourage others to come forward and speak to their GP if they are worried about any signs or symptoms.’

The King’s diagnosis – which shocked the world – comes weeks after Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, announced her skin cancer diagnosis. 

Speaking at a cancer charity fundraiser from Florida in the United States, the Duchess, who is scheduled to have a skin cancer operation this week, urged the King to ‘keep fighting on’.

She later wrote on Instagram:  ‘This was my first event since my melanoma diagnosis and since hearing of His Majesty The King’s recent cancer diagnosis. 

‘His Majesty is very dear to me and I think I speak for everyone when I say he is in my thoughts and prayers.’

Meanwhile, on Thursday Queen Camilla said the King was ‘very touched’ by all the messages of support he had received.

Speaking at an event at Salisbury Cathedral the Queen who has continued to stand by her husband’s side said: ‘He is doing extremely well under the circumstances.

‘He is very touched by all of the letters and messages the public have been sending from everywhere. That’s very cheering.’

It came hours after the King’s eldest son Prince William thanked the nation for support of his father and his wife the Princess of Wales after she underwent abdominal surgery last month.

In a speech at a gala dinner in support of London’s Air Ambulance Charity, the Prince of Wales said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. 

‘It means a great deal to us all. It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus.’

Following the announcement of the King’s illness on Monday, his youngest son, Prince Harry, 39, flew to London from California where he lives with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children.

The Duke of Sussex took a commercial British Airways flight from Los Angeles arriving at Buckingham Palace at 2.42pm.

He then spent around 45 minutes chatting with his father, which is thought to be their first proper contact in 15 months.

It was their first formal meeting in person since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

The father and son had a ‘brief meeting’ before the King and Camilla were driven to Buckingham Palace where a helicopter was waiting to take them back to Sandringham.

For his journey back to the States, Harry was spotted in Heathrow’s exclusive Windsor Suite as he prepared to fly back that afternoon.

It is believed that the royal did not see his estranged brother and heir to the throne Prince William, or sister-in-law Kate.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle was pictured smiling as she drove her Range Rover near her $14m Montecito home just hours before Prince Harry returned home.

Harry is expected to return to Britain in May for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.