Buckingham Palace makes royal family announcement amid Kate’s cancer diagnosis

Buckingham Palace has made a new announcement on the royal family’s Easter engagements.

The Palace confirmed today that the King and Queen will be attending an Easter service in Windsor this weekend alongside other members of the royal family.

The announcement comes days after Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, announced in an emotional video message that she was receiving cancer treatment. The Princess explained that post-operative tests following her major abdominal surgery earlier this year showed she had cancer.

In her message from Windsor, Kate paid tribute to her husband Prince William and three children and asked for time and privacy following her diagnosis. The form of cancer has not been disclosed, but the future queen began a course of “preventative chemotherapy” late in February, and is said to have a positive mindset for her recovery and is in good spirits, describing herself as “well and getting stronger every day”.

Today, Buckingham Palace issued an update on the royal family confirming that the King, 75, will make an appearance at the annual Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel on Easter Sunday. He announced his own cancer diagnosis last month and has been seen on public engagements only a handful of times so far this year.

Kate, William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will not be present at the service this year. The family are said to be spending the Easter holidays together as they adjust to Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

The Easter service will take place at St George’s Chapel, which is within the grounds of Windsor Castle. However, the King and Queen will be seen arriving. The pair will likely be watched by staff living at Windsor, who usually gather on a grassy bank nearby or watch from their doorsteps.

Last week, the King’s nephew Peter Phillips said Charles was “frustrated” that his recovery is taking longer than “he would want it to”. The son of the Princess Royal said the King was “in good spirits”, but was “pushing” his staff to be able to return to his duties after beginning his treatment.

In a televised interview, Mr Phillips told Sky News Australia: “I think ultimately he’s hugely frustrated. He’s frustrated that he can’t get on and do everything that he wants to be able to do. But he is very pragmatic, he understands that there’s a period of time that he really needs to focus on himself.”

The King was said to be proud of his “beloved” daughter-in-law Kate for her courage in speaking about her treatment. He has remained in close contact with her during the past few weeks