King Charles III Makes First Major Public Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis at Easter Service

King Charles III made his first major public appearance since revealing his cancer diagnosis by attending an Easter Sunday church service.

Following the service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, England, the King and wife Queen Camilla greeted the crowd that had congregated outside the church, many of whom relayed their well-wishes to the King in his first public outing since Buckingham Palace announced his cancer battle in February; the King’s exact diagnosis has not been revealed, but the Palace said it is not prostate cancer.

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The annual event featured less members of the royal family due to concerns about King Charles III’s contact with others amid his cancer treatment, CNN reports; the King and Queen also sat apart from the rest of the congregation — which included Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne — during the service.

However, King Charles III still chatted and shook hands with some of those in the crowd outside of the church; according to the BBC, the King’s outing “does not mark the start of a return to public duties, but is instead a careful first step back into the public eye.”

Notably absent from the church service as Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, who recently announced her own cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy amid the ever-growing rumors after stepping back from public appearances and royal duties.

Like Middleton, King Charles III has cut back on public-facing duties in recent months as he has “commenced a schedule of regular treatments” — his only public appearance prior to Easter Sunday was a pre-church stroll on February 11 — but he has “continued to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual,” Buckingham Palace previously said in a statement.

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