King Charles made his first official public appearance since revealing he has been diagnosed with cancer.
On Sunday, March 31, the monarch arrived at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle to attend Easter church service alongside Queen Camilla and various members of the royal family.
The King—who is currently undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer—greeted the clergy upon arrival and before lovingly waving to royal fans who gathered outside the church, eager to catch a glimpse of the royal following his January hospitalization and diagnosis.
“After the service, their majesties conducted a walkabout in the castle grounds to thank members of the congregation, estate workers, and general public who had kindly turned out to show their support,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Us Weekly.
In addition to the Queen, King Charles was also accompanied by Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as well as Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, Duchess of York.
(Ferguson has also been public about her own skin and breast cancer diagnoses.)
Embattled royal Prince Andrew also made a surprise appearance—a controversial move, People notes, since the royal stepped away from the public eye and was stripped of his military titles and patronages following sexual assault allegations and ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5—were notably missing from the festivities. It was previously reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales would spend the holiday weekend in private, following Middleton's emotional video announcing she has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing preventative treatment.
In January, Kensington Palace revealed Middleton had underwent a planned abdominal surgery, brief hospitalization and would be recovering in private. Initially, Middleton was expected to return to her royal duties sometime after the Easter holiday.
However, since revealing she has cancer, Kensington Palace announced the Princess of wales would "resume official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team."
According to a royal family insider who spoke to US Weekly, Middleton is "unsure" of when "she will feel ready to step out," but it is "up to her when it comes to getting back in the public eye."
King Charles and the Princess of Wales reportedly had a "very emotional" private lunch the day before Middleton revealed her diagnosis to the world.
“It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this,” a source told The Sun. “The King had already been made aware that the woman he calls ‘my beloved daughter-in-law’ had cancer. They would have had lots to discuss and share because just weeks earlier the King had begun his course of treatment and dealt with announcing his diagnosis.”
As People reports, during Sunday's Easter services King Charles and Queen Camilla sat away from the rest of those in attendance in order to protect the king from the possibility of infection, as he is still undergoing cancer treatments.
The royal couple are not expected to attend a reception or host a private family gathering following church services.
