New Portrait of King Charles Released Amid Cancer Battle as Queen Camilla Sends Message of Thanks

Buckingham Palace has released a new portrait of King Charles III in recognition of Armed Forces Day, which traditionally falls on the final Saturday in June in the United Kingdom and is being recognized this year on June 29.

The photo of the 75-year-old monarch was snapped in November 2023 by Hugo Burnand, the same royal photographer who took the king’s coronation photos a few months earlier.

In the new portrait, shared with BBC before its official release on Saturday, the king wore his Field Marshal’s military uniform and medals while seated in Windsor Castle’s Grand Corridor. He looked directly into the camera and gave it a small smile for the image Burnand captured. (See the new portrait here.)

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Queen Camilla also recorded a video message in honor of Armed Forces Day. Her remarks, previewed by the BBC, recalled the “incredible bravery” of those who fought in World War II. Earlier this month, the king and queen marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day by attending a special event in Ver-sur-Mer, France, where Charles delivered a speech at the D-Day National Commemoration British Normandy Memorial.

The “same spirit” demonstrated by the military personnel those eight decades ago “remain[s] much in evidence throughout our Armed Forces” now, Camilla said in her message.

"Your determination, unrelenting efforts and selfless loyalty to each other and to the United Kingdom are as enduring as our gratitude,” she added.

The king’s new portrait was unveiled nearly five months after the palace announced King Charles was diagnosed with cancer. Though palace officials did not specify in the February announcement the type of cancer, he quickly began “a schedule of regular treatments” and took some time away from his public-facing royal duties. The king’s trip to France earlier this month for the D-Day anniversary event marked his first overseas trip since his diagnosis.

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