The King has been seen in public for the first time since a hospital visit for side effects from his cancer treatment, as he waved at well-wishers while leaving Clarence House in London in a black Audi this morning. It is understood he is going to his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

On Thursday night, Buckingham Palace announced that the King was briefly hospitalised after he experienced some side effects from his routine cancer treatment.

It was soon understood that the King was back home at Clarence House and has postponed his scheduled engagements in Birmingham which were set for Friday.

A source described it as a "most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction".

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, the King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.
"His Majesty's afternoon engagements were therefore postponed."

The palace added: "His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result".

The latest update comes just days after King Charles visited the Pharmacy and Pharmacology department at Ulster University Coleraine campus in Northern Ireland, where he shared advice on living with the disease.

In a heartbreaking six-words, the monarch told fellow cancer patients on the visit: "You just have to push on." Speaking to another cancer survivor, he said: "What's that Winston Churchill saying? Keep buggering on!"

King Charles has previously visited the London Clinic, where he was treated for an enlarged prostate in January 2024. It was reported that the King travelled to and from hospital in a car on Thursday morning.

It is understood the hospital visit was not a cause for major concern, and no further updates are expected on the King's health. Any minor alterations to his diary that may be required next week will be announced in due course.