King Charles III returns to work following hospitalization for cancer setback

King Charles III returned to work Tuesday, less than a week after being hospitalized for side effects from his cancer treatment.

The British monarch presided over an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in England on Tuesday morning.

Charles, 76, appeared to be in good spirits as he smiled and chatted with honorary guests, including TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who became a Member of the British Empire.

The king is set to conduct even more royal duties later this week.

He will attend events celebrating Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence, a public engagement honoring an aviation charity event and his weekly meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to the BBC.

Charles will then embark on a trip to Italy with his wife, Queen Camilla, next week.

The couple, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9, are scheduled to attend both public and diplomatic events in the cities of Rome and Ravenna from April 7 to 10.

Charles’ busy schedule ramped back up after he was taken to a hospital for “scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer” last Thursday.

“The king experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at the time.

The rep shared that Charles had already returned to his London residence, Clarence House, and was rescheduling engagements “as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice.”

The palace first announced the sovereign had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February 2024.

Doctors discovered the health issue after Charles underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate.