I'm on ‘better side' of my cancer journey, says Charles during Bradford visit
The King has spoken candidly about his cancer treatment saying he would like to think he is on the 'better side' of his journey.
Charles comments were made to a former cancer patient he met during an away-day with the Queen to Bradford to celebrate its status as the UK's City of Culture.
The King has been receiving ongoing cancer care for about 15 months since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed from of the disease early in 2024.
Florist Safeena Khan spoke to Charles when he visited Impact Hub Yorkshire to meet local business owners supporting diverse communities in Bradford and she presented the King with a bouquet inspired by the garden of his Highgrove home.
After chatting to Charles, Ms Khan said: 'He asked me how I was, and I asked him how he was. There was some pleasantries towards the end, but it was a lovely conversation.'
The King undergoes regular treatment as an out-patient at the London Clinic and the Bradford florist said he gave her the 'thumbs up' when she asked about his health, and told her: 'I'd like to think I'm on the better side (of my cancer journey)'.
The King stepped up his workload at the start of the year following positive progress with his cancer treatment and that has continued despite the 'bump' of spending a short stay in hospital after experiencing temporary cancer treatment side effects in March.
Charles will be flying to Canada for the opening of the Commonwealth country's parliament at the end of May and after a busy summer period will be hosting a state visit by France's President Emmanuel Macron when the royal diary is normally winding down.
Earlier, the King was left 'flabbergasted' by magician Steven Frayne when he turned newspaper into £20 notes.
Bradford-born Frayne impressed Charles at the start of his tour of the Yorkshire city where he recognised another famous son, painter David Hockney, while the Queen visited the nearby home of the Bronte sisters.
Teenager Florence McGrellis surprised the King with an impromptu hug when he toured the Hockney Gallery at Cartwright Hall.
Florence, 15, who has Down's Syndrome, said afterwards it was 'awesome' adding, 'I'm friendly and I'm very helpful, and I'm a hugger', and the King seemed to enjoy the gesture, smiling and patting her on the back.
Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, showed the King new tricks he had been working on like an 'athlete' training, when Charles met a group supported by his King's Trust at a refurbished venue which will play a key role during Bradford's cultural year.
He told the King he had just finished a run of 50 shows and was making a TV programme and joked 'you should come on it, we've got to tell our story, we go way back'.
The entertainer, whose big break came after he was awarded a grant by Charles' trust, added: 'I wouldn't be doing magic today without the support you gave me.'
The King replied: 'But it was your determination – you studied.'
He produced a handful of note-sized pieces of paper and told the King 'I've got some newspaper clippings but I've been trying to take any bad news and turn it into good news', and as he tapped the paper pile it turned into £20 notes and Charles held the money to verify it.
The classic 'pick a card' trick with a twist followed and Charles' apt selection of 'King of Hearts' became the new name for a string of wifi hotspots in the Bradford Live venue when the King named his card.
Charles burst into laughter and Frayne said later: 'I've been fortunate to visit him in the royal estate, but it's nice to bring him back to my hood, to my estate – from council estate to royal estate.
'He's created an opportunity for someone (who felt) I'm invisible, there was no hope. It's almost come full circle as now he's back in Bradford, 2025, we're the capital of culture and he's once again inspiring hope and he's inspiring his own type of magic in all these incredible people.'
Asked about the King's reaction to the magic, the entertainer replied: 'He just said it was absolutely phenomenal and a lot of amazing words that made my magic sound incredible, he said keep going, and said he was flabbergasted.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Cartoonists paint a thousand words
Please explain why we suddenly need to have the cartoons in your Journal print section explained with a line of text underneath them. Those by Rebecca Hendin and Ben Jennings are rarely obscure, and in the case of Martin Rowson, half the fun comes from deciphering them, after the search for the GaleLittleham, Devon I bought Friday's Guardian, only to find a copy of Saturday's magazine inside. It's a pity it did not include Saturday's sports results, as I might have made a fortune at the bookie' FosterCanterbury If finding 18 words in Word Wheel (13 June) is 'genius' level, what does the 46 words I found make me?Kevin WardQuorn, Leicestershire 'Who knows where [Nigel Farage] will be tomorrow?' writes John Crace (Sketch, 10 June). One thing is for sure – it won't be ColeRugby, Warwickshire Re egregious Americanisms (Letters, 11 June), when did we start 'reaching out' rather than simply approaching someone?Lynne Scrimshaw London Hike!Peter KaanExeter MorrisonBarnet, Hertfordshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Download Festival warning as police urge attendees NOT to wear smart watches after 'issues' last year
Festival-goers have been told to leave their smart watches at home when visiting Download after the cops received hundreds of accidental calls from mosh pits last year. Leicestershire Police said on a routine weekend the force handles around 600 emergency calls - but during Download Festival weekend there was 700 more than usual. Body-worn devices, such as smart watches, automatically calls the emergency services if it senses the wearer has been in a crash or suffered a fall. The significant increase in calls places a 'huge burden' on call handlers as they have to be assessed and then called back three times to ensure the caller is safe. This process takes resources away from genuine emergencies, the cops warned. Officers have urged the head-banging heavy metal fans to put their smart watches into airplane mode before entering 'the pit' as the wearable tech 'assumes they have been in a collision'. Disabling emergency alerts on the watches were also advised - or to leave them at home altogether. In an Instagram post shared this week, Leicestershire Police also suggested staying on the line if their watch has called them by mistake. The rock and metal festival held in Donington Park, Leicestershire, between June 13 and 15 will be attended by up to 130,000 people and will feature performances from Green Day, McFly, Korn and Weezer. A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: 'Download Festival starts this weekend. In previous years, due to wearable tech issues, we saw a rise of nearly 700 extra 999 calls in a weekend. 'The tech assumed that people in mosh pits had been in a collision, causing 999 contacts and abandoned 999 calls. 'All those calls had to be assessed, with three outbound call attempts completed to ensure there is no threat, risk or harm, taking our contact handlers away from answering true emergency calls. 'Help Us Help You by answering our callbacks from hidden numbers to let us know you are safe. We also recommend switching on 'airplane mode' or disabling emergency alerts on your wearable tech.' The warning comes only weeks after the latest Download Festival controversy which saw LGBTQ acts threatening to boycott after organisers followed the Supreme Court's ruling over gender. The ruling said that trans men and women should use toilets according to their biological sex - not the gender they identify as. But last month, trans pop-punk artist Noahfinnce says the decision will be put people 'in danger', declaring the decision means: 'My trans sisters have to risk outing themselves in the men's [toilets]'. The row has come to the attention of Harry Potter author and women's rights campaigner JK Rowling, who said of the complaints by trans artists and campaigners: 'Nothing short of women's total capitulation will be good enough for them'.
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Listen as BBC presenter swears live on air whilst in ‘agony'
Listen to the moment a BBC radio presenter drops the F-bomb whilst live on air, with the star issuing an apology just moments later. Ian Skye was on BBC Radio Derby on Friday (13 June) when he suddenly screamed 'ahh, f***ing hell!', just seconds after telling listeners to message in if they had any requests. After realising his expletive outburst was heard to the public, he joked: 'I went on a course yesterday to learn how to be better on the radio.' "I don't think they suggested suddenly getting unbearably agonising cramp and shouting really loud on the air.' He went on to 'profusely apologise' for the incident which occurred just as the show's jingle began playing.
