In a touching exchange at Buckingham Palace, King Charles shared a candid personal note with New Zealand’s women’s rugby squad, the Black Ferns. He conveyed his disappointment about having to scrap plans to visit New Zealand, telling them, “I am extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in later October because of doctor’s orders. But I hope there will be another excuse before too long.”
With affection, he implored the team: “But in the meantime, give my love to New Zealand, please, and New Zealanders, we get lots of nice Kiwi coming here in this part of the world as well, so we are very lucky indeed.”
His Royal Highness didn’t miss the opportunity to impart some cheeky wisdom, quipping to the young players, “And I hope you make the most of your time in the team because you don’t stay young for very long, as I discovered, it all goes quicker than you think.”
The King was in excellent spirits, sharing rugby anecdotes with the Kiwi women’s team ( Image: Getty)
This remark brought a moment of laughter and connection between the king and the athletes, reports OK!. He rounded off his speech on an encouraging note by expressing his support: “Anyway, I do hope you have great success.”
These sincere moments occurred amidst King Charles’s ongoing health journey after Buckingham Palace’s announcement on February 5 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and had begun receiving routine treatments from that date.
Buckingham Palace has recently unveiled the itinerary for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s forthcoming tour of Australia and Samoa. The Royal jaunt, commencing on 18 October, is brimming with engagements that “themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of the King and Queen’s work”, as per palace sources.
King Charles with the Black Ferns ( Image: Getty)
Intriguingly, the King has confirmed that the schedule does not encompass a visit to New Zealand, where he holds the position of head of state.
Despite the Royal medical team and palace officials deciding to pare down the tour, which concludes on 26 October, there’s a silver lining regarding the King’s health. An insider has revealed that it’s on an upward curve.
