The cards that cheered King Charles up… and the cards that made him cry: Monarch is seen grinning as he opens ‘beautiful’ messages from well-wishers after his cancer diagnosis
He said this week that the many “wonderful” cards and messages of support he has received since his cancer diagnosis had moved him to tears.
What King Charles didn’t say is that sometimes they laugh.
A new set of images released by Buckingham Palace shows His Majesty giggling at a card featuring a dog wearing a veterinary collar and the words ‘At least you don’t have to wear a cone!’
The £6.29 large card from British online company Moonpig is said to have ‘provoked much royal merriment’, according to aides.
Details of the consignor have not been revealed, but the King has always had dogs and is currently ‘stepdog father’ to his wife, Queen Camilla, two rescues from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Beth and Bluebell.
It is one of more than 7,000 well-wishes letters and cards received by Buckingham Palace so far since his diagnosis just over two weeks ago.
The royal family has released photos and videos of King Charles reading cards sent to him by well-wishers following his cancer diagnosis. Pictured: His Majesty reading a card at Buckingham Palace
Charles is moved to tears by some of the correspondence. In the photo: the king with a card in his hands that was sent by a benefactor
The king has been so touched by the outpouring of good wishes that the royal family decided to release a new series of images of him looking at some of his correspondence.
There is also a nice video made of the king smiling and chuckling to himself as he reads the cards.
The social media after Royal.uk channels also show mailbags containing correspondence being carried in by staff, who then open a number of letters and cards.
Viewers can get a rare glimpse of the inside of the King’s red box, with black lines, which is then filled with letters, as well as cutouts of some of the most moving messages.
They were shot this week on Wednesday before his audience with the Prime Minister.
Seated in the 18th century room of The Belgian Suite at Buckingham Palace, part of his private suite, the 75-year-old king looked tired around the eyes, no doubt as a result of his treatment, but nevertheless invigorated by the sight.
Many of them come from children who submitted painstakingly hand-drawn, brightly colored cards with sweet personal messages, which are said to have “greatly touched His Majesty.”
The king noted during a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday that many of the cards had “brought me to tears.”
Among the images shown on camera is a tender message from one child, who gave His Majesty some advice on how to cope with the treatment.
‘Never give up. Be brave. Don’t push your limits. Get well soon,” they wrote.
His Majesty appeared cheerful as he read the correspondence from the public which had been placed in his red box for him to read
The King opens a card with hand-drawn images of a rainbow and a multi-colored crown sent to Buckingham Palace by a child
Palace officials said they have received more than 7,000 letters for His Majesty. Pictured: A card on which His Majesty says: ‘At least you don’t have to wear a cone’
One message read: ‘Your Majesty King Charles III, we pray for your steady recovery’
One person wrote that they were sorry to hear that you are not feeling well at the moment. I wish you a quick recovery. Get well soon!’
In another letter, the king received some words of advice, including ‘never give up, be brave, don’t push your limits’
Some children’s cards were decorated with bright colors to lighten Charles’ mood.
One piece of correspondence featured a hand-drawn rainbow from the children’s author, while the other side had a sweet “Get Well Soon” message written beneath a multi-colored crown.
Another message from a well-wisher added: “King Charles, I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well at the moment. I wish you a speedy recovery. Get well soon.’
The King also received messages from adults, some of whom revealed their own deeply personal experiences during difficult times and expressed their sincere support for His Majesty.
“I wanted to tell you that I am thinking of you as you face your own diagnosis and treatment and sending you prayers and all the best wishes for a speedy recovery,” one person wrote.
Another who had experienced difficult situations urged Charles to “keep his chin up, keep his chest out, stay positive and don’t let it get him down.”
“Believe me, it works, but the most important thing is family,” they added.
A senior royal aide said: ‘They have been a source of frequent laughter and good cheer.’
The staff puts a small selection into his red box with official papers every day to cheer His Majesty.
Others are said to be deeply moving, with people sharing their own personal experiences of living with cancer.
A short video released on social media this evening included a message that read: ‘Following the announcement of the King’s cancer diagnosis, the Buckingham Palace correspondence team has received more than 7,000 letters and cards from around the world. The king has received a selection in his daily red box of paperwork. Many share their own experiences with cancer. Others offer good wishes and advice for a speedy recovery.
“To everyone who took the time to write, THANK YOU. As His Majesty has said, ‘such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.’
As always, Buckingham Palace, where postal addresses have been provided in correspondence with Your Majesty, will send an expression of thanks.
Another well-wisher wrote: “Just wanted to tell you that I am thinking of you as you face the diagnosis and treatment and sending you prayers and all the best wishes for a speedy recovery.”
One person urged the king to “keep his chin up, keep his chest out, stay positive and not let it get him down.” They added: ‘Believe me, it works, but the most important thing is family’
The King revealed during a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that he had been ‘reduced to tears’ by some messages of support
It is understood that the outpouring of goodwill for the king has left the palace ‘groaning’ under the weight of the mail bags, through which staff continue to pass.
The royal family has also seen updates about the king’s health attract more than 100 million views on social media.
This week the King met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the first time since his diagnosis, telling him: ‘I have had so many wonderful messages and cards. Most of the time it has brought me to tears.”
Mr Sunak assured him that ‘we are all behind you, the country is behind you’, adding that it was ‘great to see you looking so good.’ In typically good humor, the king jokingly replied, “Well, it’s all done by mirrors, actually.”
He also said he was hugely encouraged by the renewed focus on many of the country’s leading cancer charities as a result of his openness about his condition.
The King spoke of his admiration for cancer charities, telling Mr Sunak: ‘I hear there has been a lot more potential attention for those most important, wonderful cancer charities, many of which I have been a patron for many years.’
The Prime Minister responded: “They are doing incredible work across the country.”
The king currently visits London once a week for outpatient treatment and meetings before retiring to Sandringham, his Norfolk estate, for recuperation.
Last month he underwent surgery for a benign enlarged prostate.
During this surgery, doctors discovered an unrelated condition that they were concerned about.
Tests later revealed it was cancer.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed it is not prostate cancer, but has not released any further details about the king’s condition.