King Charles vows to put 'duty before everything' as monarch 'unfazed' by cancer setback

The King has insisted on putting “duty before everything” as he continues to battle and manage controversial family issues at the heart of the monarchy. As he prepares to land in tomorrow for the start of a four day tour of Italy alongside the , the monarch has vowed to continue his full on schedule by “just getting on with the job”.

sources have told how the King is “in great form and completely unfazed” by his recent admission to , following temporary side effects from his ongoing cancer treatment. , 76, has been undergoing weekly treatment at a London cancer unit since his diagnosis last February, but continued to arrange appointments around his busy diary.

The King at the end of last month was forced to spend several hours under observation after suffering an adverse reaction to his treatment. Palace aides however suggested the issue, which was not detailed, was “not uncommon with many medical treatments”.

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However, the King did cancel a day and a half of engagements, including an away day in Birmingham on March 23, before being advised to clock off for a weekend to recover.

Sources said Charles’ time at his Highgrove country estate in Gloucestershire allowed him to “take a breather” and recover fully in time for the tour. One source close to the King said: “Italy was never in doubt, but what His Majesty’s break did do was allow him to take a breather and slow down if only for a couple of days.

“Everyone has seen in recent days that he is in great form and completely unfazed by his recent setback, if anything both His Majesty and the Queen are even more excited to be getting on the road again.”

The King has maintained an extraordinary schedule this year, leading the in engagements throughout the first three months. In the lead up to the tour the couple hosted a dinner reception at Highgrove to highlight Anglo-Italian relations which according to sources they “loved” with one saying “it really did whet the appetite. Their Majesties can't wait to meet the people and enjoy the culture, food and enthusiasm of their Italian hosts.”

The King and Queen’s visit to Italy will see the couple travel to Rome and Ravenna as well as celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday at a stunning state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale.

Charles will also meet Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella, and the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, as well as becoming the first British monarch to address a joint session of Italy's parliament.

Following the high of successfully completing a tour of and Samoa last October, palace officials said the King was committed to a full schedule for 2025. Courtiers said the nine day tour acted as “the perfect tonic”, with royal sources adding Charles was dedicated to “making up for lost time”.

But during his treatment the monarch has also had to deal with intense family issues which at times have threatened to overshadow his work. His son will this week begin his appeal to overturn a decision to strip him of taxpayer funded security when visiting Britain.

The was stripped of the privilege when he and wife Meghan quit their roles as senior working royals to move to the United States.

Additionally, the Duke of York’s fall from grace over his relationship with convicted paedophile continues to hurt the royal family after allegations surfaced that he had grown close to an alleged Chinese spy.

The King was dragged into the row last week after a statement from Dominic Hampshire, a former senior adviser to Prince Andrew, was revealed at an immigration tribunal following a decision to ban the Duke’s confidant Yang Tengbo from the country. Mr Hampshire claimed he went with Andrew twice to Windsor “without being seen” to talk to the King about an investment fund linked to Tengbo, although say he was not mentioned.

It also emerged today that the Duke demanded a face-to-face meeting with the director general of MI5 in the wake of the spy scandal. Sir Ken McCallum agreed to meet the Duke, scheduled for June last year, but the MI5 chief is understood to have cancelled it at the last minute.

Aside from what sources term as “outside noise”, the Queen has proved “invaluable” in taking on extra duties for The Firm, while the Prince and have re-evaluated their working roles following the princess’ own cancer diagnosis last year.

Whereas the King is continuing his work schedule at pace, much to his wife’s frustration after she recently admitted that he “won’t slow down and won’t do what he’s told”, the Prince of Wales is breaking with tradition to reshape his role believing he will have more “impact” with shorter trips abroad and working on long term projects.

A source said: “There are always issues occurring in His Majesty’s orbit with which he has no control over. His focus as it has always been is on his role with an emphasis on duty before everything.”

The source pointed to the King’s first address to the nation following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, where he also promised to dedicate himself to “lifelong service”.

In his speech, Charles said he had been “brought up to cherish a sense of duty to others” adding: “As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation”.

The source said: “The King knows no other way than to act on the principles that are central to who he is.”

Palace aides have had a frantic couple of weeks rearranging parts of the King and Queen’s schedule after a visit to the Holy Sea and an audience with Pope Francis was scrapped following the Pontiff’s recent hospital admission suffering from double pneumonia.

Sources said a visit to The Vatican is likely to be rearranged once the Pope has fully recovered, with the King and Queen sending their warmest wishes.

The King has previously made official visits to Italy 17 times, with the Queen joining him for two of them.

The remainder of the trip will see them enjoy the produce of the "Emilia-Romagna" - translated as "slow food" - movement, visit key artistic and literary sights including Dante's tomb and the Byron museum, and commemorate the 80th anniversary of Ravenna's liberation from the Nazis.

One palace source remarked: “Obviously there is great sadness not able to meet with the Pope on this occasion and both Their Majesties are thinking of him and sending best wishes for swift recovery.” However, aides have breathed a sigh of relief that the change of schedule has allowed this week’s Rome programme to be spread over two days, with the source adding: “It’s fair to say it's alleviated a little pressure all round.”