“Which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms, subject to sign-off by doctors.”
The trip, which was the King’s first visit of this size and scope since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, had originally included a visit to New Zealand, but this was ruled out on the advice of his doctors.
The palace official added: “I think it’s great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so.”
The schedule, which involved the King and Queen undertake up to 10 engagements a day, had been tailored specifically to accommodate periods of rest and included only one evening event.
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The King is said to have “genuinely loved” his time in Australia and Samoa and has “thrived” on the programme.
The senior palace official added: “It’s lifted his spirits, his mood and his recovery. In that sense, the tour – despite its demands – has been the perfect tonic.”
And yet the King’s mortality was never far from centre stage, with even the monarch himself referencing it on a few occasions.
Closing his speech during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), he said: “For my part, I can assure you today that for however many years God grants me, I will join you and the people of the Commonwealth on every step of this journey. Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us be proud of who we are today.”
And speaking again at the traditional farewell ceremony in the village of Siumu on the last day of the tour, he said: “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back again and see you.”
But for the palace, this is a positive reflection of how the King is “dealing” with his cancer diagnosis.
The palace official said the King was “a great believer in mind, body and soul,” adding that this combination, mixed with a doctor being with him to make sure he is properly looked after, “makes for a very successful visit in these circumstances”.
And his endurance is bolstered by the support of the Queen.
The palace official added: “The King gets great strength from the Queen being there, not least because when she keeps it real.”
It is understood that the King will recommence his cancer treatment on his return to the UK, having paused it whilst abroad.
In addition to the public-facing engagements, the King’s constitutional duty has continued behind the scenes during the tour with the red state boxes of government being flown in from London.
And yet the trip wasn’t without its challenges; there was the confrontational moment in Canberra when Lidia Thorpe stormed towards the stage shouting: “You are not my King, this is not your land.”
But the King remained “unruffled”.
The palace official said: “He’s been around a long time. As always, [he] kept calm, carried on.”
He believes “free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and so everyone is entitled to their views,” the official added.
And when the Caribbean countries of the Commonwealth raised the issue of reparations at Chogm, he characteristically did not “duck” the issues, according to the palace official.
“It’s very easy to run away from some of these issues. But the King isn’t one for doing that.”
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
Britain’s gas storage levels are “concerningly low” with less than a week of demand in store, the operator of the country’s largest gas storage site said on Friday.
Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said.
The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.
As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full,” Centrica said.
“This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.”
The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity.
Glasgow has been a city crying out for solutions to a devastating drugs epidemic that is ravaging people hooked on deadly narcotics.
We have spent time with vulnerable addicts in recent months and witnessed first-hand the dirty, dangerous street corners and back alleys where they would inject their £10 heroin hit, not knowing – or, in many cases, not caring – whether that would be the moment they die.
“Dying would be better than this life,” one man told me.
It was a grim insight into the daily reality of life in the capital of Europe’s drug death crisis.
Scotland has a stubborn addiction to substances spanning generations. Politicians of all persuasions have failed to properly get a grip of the emergency.
But there is a new concept in town.
From Monday, a taxpayer-funded unit is allowing addicts to bring their own heroin and cocaine and inject it while NHS medical teams supervise.
It may be a UK-first but it is a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.
Glasgow has looked on with envy at these other models.
One supermarket car park less than a hundred metres from this new facility is a perfect illustration of the problem. An area littered with dirty needles and paraphernalia. A minefield where one wrong step risks contracting a nasty disease.
It is estimated hundreds of users inject heroin in public places in Glasgow every week. HIV has been rife.
The new building, which will be open from 9am until 9pm 365 days a year, includes bays where clean needles are provided as part of a persuasive tactic to lure addicts indoors in a controlled environment.
There is a welcome area where people will check in before being invited into one of eight bays. The room is clinical, covered in mirrors, with a row of small medical bins.
We were shown the aftercare area where users will relax after their hit in the company of housing and social workers.
The idea is controversial and not cheap – £2.3m has been ring-fenced every year.
Authorities in the city first floated a ‘safer drug consumption room’ in 2016. It failed to get off the ground as the UK Home Office under the Conservatives said they would not allow people to break the law to feed habits.
The usual wrangle between Edinburgh and London continued for years with Downing Street suggesting Scotland could, if it wanted, use its discretion to allow these injecting rooms to go ahead.
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The stalemate ended when Scotland’s most senior prosecutor issued a landmark decision that it would not be in the public interest to arrest those using such a facility.
One expert has told me this new concept is unlikely to lead to an overall reduction in deaths across Scotland. Another described it as an expensive vanity project. Supporters clearly disagree.
The question is what does success look like?
The big test will be if there is a spike in crime around the building and how it will work alongside law enforcement given drug dealers know exactly where to find their clients now.
It is not disputed this is a radical approach – and other cities across Britain will be watching closely.