LONDON, Oct 27, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - King Charles III's cancer diagnosis will not
prevent him flying abroad next year for foreign visits, a Buckingham Palace
official said, as the monarch wrapped up a tour of Australia and Samoa.

"We're now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour programme
for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be
thinking in those terms," the official said late Saturday.

Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer earlier this year but
doctors agreed he could pause his treatment to allow him to travel to
Australia and Samoa.

The palace announced in April that he would make a limited return to public
duties, as doctors were "very encouraged" by his progress.

The official added that the king had "thrived" on the tour's programme which
had lifted "his spirits, his mood and his recovery".

"In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,"
he added.

The tour was Charles' first to Australia, where he is also head of state,
since he became king following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September
2022.

Charles and Queen Camilla left Samoa Saturday after the marathon 11-day tour
that saw the king carry out more than 30 engagements.

The royal couple visited Sydney, Canberra and the Samoan capital Apia, where
Charles attended a meeting of Commonwealth nations.

The 56-nation bloc -- made up mostly of British ex-colonies -- had hoped to
focus on a future threatened by climate change, but instead bickered over a
troubled past marked by slavery and colonisation.