Prince William is “worried” about his father, King Charles III, taking on too heavy a workload now that he has been cleared to return to public-facing duties amid his battle with cancer.

“He wants to make sure his father is balancing his recovery. He knows his dad loves work, but he does worry about him,” an insider told The Times of London on Sunday, May 5.

An aide told the outlet that the monarch’s calendar “will be carefully calibrated with enough downtime so that it is not too draining.”

“Some people might think he is trying to pedal twice as hard because he is conscious that time is running ahead of him, but he’s like that anyway,” a friend said. “His downtime away from public life has been used productively, enabling him to keep thinking about the things he wants to get on with.”

Buckingham Palace made the shocking announcement on February 5 that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a procedure for an enlarged prostate.

While the type of the disease was not disclosed, His Majesty immediately began a course of treatment and had been “advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.” However, the palace noted, “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”

Charles continued to receive guests at Buckingham Palace, as well as his weekly briefings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. While he was not making public appearances, photographs from his meetings were shared with the public, showing the king looking healthy enough to continue working amid his cancer treatments.

The king and Queen Camilla made their first public appearance, albeit a scaled down one, when they attended Easter Sunday church services with other members of the royal family on March 31. Charles greeted guests outside St. George’s Chapel, shaking hands with well-wishers.

On April 26, the royal family announced that His Majesty would be returning to public-facing duties after having a positive response to his cancer treatment.

Prince William ‘Worried’ About King Charles' Return to Work
Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Charles and Camilla, 76, made a joint visit to a cancer treatment center on April 30, meeting with medical specialists and patients. The announcement noted that “this visit will be the first in a number of external engagements His Majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead,” including hosting the Emperor and Empress of Japan for a State Visit in June.

The smiling monarch made another public appearance on May 3, attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show along with several other family members. The event was one of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite events.

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