LONDON, Dec 20, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - King Charles III on Friday joked that he was "still alive" as he met east London community members at the end of a year in which the British monarch has battled cancer.

The quip, which came after a member of the public asked Charles how he was, followed reports on Friday that the 76-year-old sovereign will continue his cancer treatment into next year.

Buckingham Palace sources told Sky News that "his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year".

The palace announced in February that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer and would withdraw from public life to undergo treatment.

The following month, his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, revealed that she too had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.

Charles returned to work within two and a half months and has gradually ramped up his duties during the rest of the year, including making several foreign trips.

Friday's event, which saw Charles and Queen Camilla visit Waltham Forest in the east of the British capital to celebrate community cohesion, is their final public engagement before they begin their Christmas break.

The couple will be joined by other senior royals for their annual festive gathering at the family's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England.