King’s cancer treatment will continue into next year, Sky News understands

Published

4 months ago

December 20, 2024

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The King’s cancer treatment will continue into the New Year, Sky News understands.

Palace sources have said “his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year”.

The source added there is a sense of optimism, which can be seen in the King’s desire to keep up a busy schedule of public engagements, including during the festive period.

Buckingham Palace announced in February that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning a course of treatment.

Very early on, the monarch personally took the decision to share his diagnosis, and his experience, in the hope it may help others.

But he has deliberately not confirmed the type of cancer he is being treated for so he doesn’t detract from the significance of other forms of the illness.

It is also unclear what type of treatment he has specifically had, but he has regularly been in London for private appointments.

Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of the cancer support charity Maggie’s – of which Queen Camilla is patron – said: “It’s very common for treatment to be ongoing for very long periods of time, as is the treatment that the Princess of Wales went through, which is an intense period of treatment over a year, and then it comes to a point where it’s on an end, and she’s on that recovery from some of the impacts of her treatment.

“So we’ve got immunotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy. There are all sorts of different treatment modalities. And so it’s not surprising at all.”

For proof the King’s treatment is ‘positive’, look at how active he continues to be

As we’ve seen the King so busy surrounded by crowds, choirs and Christmas trees in recent weeks, it’s sometimes easy to forget this is still a man dealing with cancer.

But the confirmation that his treatment will continue into the new year is a reminder to us all.

Speak to cancer charities and they’ll say we shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone’s medical journeys are different and it’s common for patients to have to continue on what feels like a long drawn-out pathway of treatment to manage their condition.

We’re told that his treatment is moving in a “positive direction”, and if we want proof of the “optimism” palace sources have spoken about, we just need to look at how active he continues to be.

I’m told this is still a man who “if he has a fifteen-minute window in his diary, he’ll find something to fill it”.

But this is also a monarch who continues to be immensely touched by the kindness he’s been shown by the public this year; understanding that has encouraged him to be open about his own ongoing journey, in the hope it may help others.

Speaking more widely about the openness of both the King and the Princess of Wales, she added: “What we’ve heard from our centre visitors, it’s been good that they haven’t just shone a light on one specific cancer type, but they’ve shone a light on cancer as a whole, and that there’s varying treatment and varying impacts and varying different ways of navigating the challenges that cancer bring.

“And I think that approach has been much more effective and positive for the cancer community. I know firsthand that everyone is so grateful to them for doing that.”

Later, the King and Queen will carry out their last big public engagement before they begin their Christmas break, meeting local community volunteers, young people, emergency services, and faith representatives in Waltham Forest.

For their final visit of the year they wanted to thank and celebrate communities who responded to the violent disorder that flared up in the summer following the Southport stabbings.

The royal couple will talk to some of the Waltham Forest residents who attended a peaceful anti-racism protest in early August, demonstrating the true community spirit of the borough.

Waltham Forest has been officially recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary, meaning it values and celebrates the migrants, refugees, and people seeking sanctuary who have settled there.

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Their visit comes as palace sources told us “the intention is for the monarch to return to a full programme of public duties next year”, with planning for the first half of the year involving “an exciting mix of national and international events”.

At the end of their tour of Australia and Samoa, a senior palace official said the trip had lifted the King’s spirits, his mood, and his recovery, and that they were “working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year”.

The source added a fuller schedule “is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms, subject to sign-off by doctors”.

We’ve also been told that despite everything that has happened this year, the King and Queen seem happier than they did at the end of last year, partly perhaps because they are more settled in their new roles, but also because of the outpouring of kindness they have received from members of the public.

UK

Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Published

7 hours ago

April 5, 2025

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

14 hours ago

April 5, 2025

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

15 hours ago

April 5, 2025

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.