The King has spoken of how touched he is by the many messages of support he has received from around the Commonwealth following his cancer diagnosis.

His Majesty expressed his thanks as he delivered his Commonwealth Day message.

This year’s message was recorded and played out during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey which saw Queen Camilla lead the Royal Family.

Her Majesty was accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.

They all watched The King’s special message broadcast during the service.

In it, King Charles reflected on the seventy fifth anniversary of the Commonwealth which he called ” a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey that our unique family of free and independent nations has made since 1949.”

The King praised the strength of the connections between nations, saying that ” the Commonwealth family is strongest when we are connected, through friendship. As I have said before, the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires. Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time.”

His Majesty also said ”The Commonwealth, above all, retains a particular focus on our young people, who make up two-thirds of the entire Commonwealth population. Whetherin Kenya or Malaysia, Vanuatu or Dominica, Malta, or Canada, I never cease to be impressed by their creativity, innovative skills, and hard work, often in the most challenging circumstances. Their energy is transforming approaches to development, technology and preserving and restoring Nature and will, I hope, help to shape, and safeguard our common future.”

The speech ended with a personal note of thanks as His Majesty said ”I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.”