The King has demonstrated “remarkable resilience” over the past year as he carried on with royal engagements despite still being treated for cancer, one of his key aides has said.
James Chalmers, the monarch’s new Keeper of the Privy Purse who is charge of royal finances, said at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing that Charles’s approach illustrated his “personal commitment to duty”.
He hailed the past financial year as “something of a return to normal business” after the health troubles facing the King and the Princess of Wales.
The rundown of royal finances – from April 1 2024 to March 31 2025 – covers the months following the King and Kate’s double cancer diagnosis and the majority of 2024, the year described by the Prince of Wales as “brutal” and probably the hardest of his life.
Charles made a rapid return to public-facing duties in April 2024, while Kate made a more gradual one after revealing in September she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and later confirmed at the start of 2025 that she was cancer free.
Mr Chalmers said: “This year has, of course, seen something of a ‘return to normal business’ after the health challenges faced by members of the family in the previous fiscal year.
“Indeed, by happenstance, the period to which this Sovereign Grant Report relates correlates almost exactly with His Majesty’s return to public-facing duties, in April of 2024.
“In the subsequent months, the King demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment, demonstrating not only His Majesty’s personal commitment to duty but also the adaptability and resilience of the Royal Household in ensuring continuity of service, no matter the personal circumstances.”
Mr Chalmers said the King and the princess’s return to public duties had been met with widespread public support “reflecting the profound connection the royal family maintains with people across the country and indeed the world”.
“No metric can fully capture the scale of this connection,” he added, but noted that the royal websites had seen a record 4.2 million new visitors, and the royal family’s accounts had almost 400 million views of video content across its digital communications platforms and 1.3 billion impressions generated from its social media content.
