King Charles holds special audience at Buckingham Palace after Russia reports his death

King Charles meets with veterans of the Korean War at Buckingham Palace after being pictured leaving Windsor Castle in the back of a vehicle on Tuesday morning.

King Charles smiles as he warmly greets veterans to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ahead of a reception held at Buckingham Palace today. The reigning monarch was pictured standing in the 18th Century Room as he met with veterans – Alan Guy, Mike Mogridge, Brian Parritt, and Ron Yardley. On behalf of King Charles, a reception for 200 Korean War veterans will be held in the Bow Room in the palace, as Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie host on his behalf.

Earlier this morning, King Charles was spotted leaving Windsor Castle in a series of pictures just hours after the first pictures of Princess Kate’s outing emerged at the weekend. Princess Kate was snapped with Prince William on Saturday out at a local farm shop in Windsor. Both dressed casually, Kate was dressed down in a jumper and leggings and reported to look “happy and relaxed”, despite ongoing social media speculation of her whereabouts.

The Princess of Wales has not been conducting public duties since her per-planned abdominal surgery in January, and was last seen with the wider Royal Family on Christmas Day 2023 in Sandringham. She is expected to continue her royal engagements after Easter, as reported by Kensington Palace.

Meanwhile, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was forced to confirm yesterday that the King was still alive after false reports King Charles had passed away citing unnamed sources and a fake statement claimed to have been issued by Buckingham Palace. King Charles is currently undergoing treatment following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year but has been pictured on multiple occasions.

The King has been receiving cancer treatment in London and resting at Sandringham after announcing his diagnosis on February 5. Still committed to duty, he receives his red governmental boxes everyday and attends meetings with Rishi Sunak when possible. Despite keeping away from public-facing duties while he recovers, Buckingham Palace staff are considering options to ensure King Charles will be able to attend Trooping the Color 2024 as long as he “gets the nod” from his medical team.

Trooping the Color is one of the biggest military ceremonies of the year and is the reigning monarch’s official birthday celebration – but his actual birthday is on November 14. But it is thought the monarch might have to be driven in a carriage or watch the spectacle from a podium rather than horseback, as is tradition.