King Charles says 'doctors' orders have stopped travel plans'
King Charles has said that his 'lifelong aspiration' is becoming harder due to 'doctor's orders'. The monarch this year revealed how he was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Buckingham Palace did not say what type of cancer the King had been diagnosed with - but said it was not prostate cancer. In a recent royal trip, Charles told how he hopes to visit all 56 Commonwealth nations.
But its ever-expanding membership – and doctor’s orders – have made it more difficult. Charles spoke about his ambition to travel to about a dozen countries missing from his list during a dinner he hosted with Queen Camilla for Commonwealth leaders.
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In a speech to those attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Samoa, King Charles said: "It remains a lifelong aspiration to have visited all the countries of the Commonwealth – although nowadays it seems to be a race against our happily increasing numbers – as well as doctor’s orders." On his final night in Samoa, Charles spoke warmly of his affection for the family of nations.
He said: "The Commonwealth can surely be a source of hope." While 'dark clouds gathered', i'dialogue and discussion' was needed to achieve peace, he said.
The King’s clothing reflected Samoa, with the monarch wearing a Red Sea rig dress shirt with detail from the Samoan School of Fine Art. Camilla donned an embroidered blue tunic and palazzo trousers by Anna Valentine, with diamond earrings.
Charles said: "As we look from this idyllic place across the world, dark clouds have gathered over many regions, but the Commonwealth can surely be a cause of hope and healing… International challenges on such a scale call for international solutions, through dialogue and discussion, for that is where, eventually, peace resides.
"The sheer scale and diversity of Commonwealth membership, spanning the entire globe and embracing more than one-third of the human race, gives us the understanding, the credibility and indeed the clout to play a full role in promoting and protecting peace and prosperity." This event was the King's only evening engagement of his nine-day tour of Australia and New Zealand.