LONDON: Britain’s King Charles III on Monday marked the first anniversary of his coronation following a challenging year that has seen a cancer diagnosis and continuing tensions with his estranged son Prince Harry.
To celebrate the occasion a 41-gun salute rang out from Green Park next to Buckingham Palace at noon (1100 GMT), followed an hour later with sixty-two volleys fired from another central London location, AFP reported.
No official events, however, were planned with the anniversary coming less than a week after the monarch resumed public duties since his cancer diagnosis.
He visited fellow cancer patients at a London hospital on Tuesday after doctors said they were very satisfied with his progress.
The 75-year-old king, who has not disclosed the type of cancer he has, was also reportedly keen to mark the day with minimal “fuss” given the link between his accession to the throne and the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who crowned the monarch a year ago at Westminster Abbey, praised his “sense of duty”.
He said that the past year has presented the monarch with some great personal challenges. But he has been struck by his continued sense of duty, having recently returned to royal duties following treatment.
The archbishop added that the monarch’s openness in sharing his condition has been characteristic of his willingness to help and support others.
British Royal Family’s Popularity
The anniversary comes as an Ipsos poll for the Daily Mail saw King Charles’s personal popularity rating rise slightly to 56%.
His son and heir Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, were the most popular members of the royal family with 69% each, up 8-10% since last April.
Catherine, also known as Kate, announced her own shock cancer diagnosis in late March following abdominal surgery which had already forced her to withdraw from public life.
The double blow of both Charles’s and Catherine’s ill health has left the royal family facing a shortage of frontline royals, with Prince William also stepping back for a while to help care for his spouse and family.
Queen Camilla, 76, stepped in to take over many of her husband’s engagements while the monarch’s sister Princess Anne and his youngest brother Prince Edward have also taken on more prominent roles.
But King Charles and Catherine’s absence was felt even more keenly as the monarch’s younger son Prince Harry is no longer a working royal.
Harry dramatically relocated to North America in 2020 with his spouse Meghan Markle.
He will return to Britain this week to attend a ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of his Invictus Games for disabled military veterans.
