But being cleared to leave the country was the goal, and that milestone came in October 2024, when Charles and Camilla traveled to Australia for their first state visit to the Commonwealth nation since becoming king and queen.
Back at Buckingham Palace hosting a reception for Britain’s 2024 Olympians on Nov. 7, Charles shared that he was staying fit with a twice-a-day exercise regimen incorporating squats and a pull-up bar.
And in December 2025, the 77-year-old said in a message aired during Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer broadcast, “Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders,’ my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year.”
Now Charles is back to making jokes about the perils of aging in general, telling a 104-year-old World War II veteran during a July visit to the military charity Heroes On The Water Isle of Man that he wasn’t doing “too bad.”
“But I don’t know how you do it,” the king quipped. “It’s bad enough at my age.”
Advised that the secret was to just keep going, Charles cracked,” It is terrible because bits keep dropping off!”
Keep reading for a rundown of the year’s royal news: