King Charles has been observed to be showing "greater personal happiness this year" by a close ally after recent significant setbacks.
The comments referred to a challenging period for the 76-year-old monarch and the Royal Family, centring around his cancer journey.
In February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
The King's diagnosis came "just as he was getting going" in his role as sovereign, a Palace source said.
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"That was an obvious setback, personally and operationally, to the burning ambition of what he wanted to achieve," they added, per The Telegraph.
A close friend of Charles said that the interruption to his momentum would have come as a significant blow.
"He is a man who is never satisfied with what he feels he can and should achieve," the ally revealed.
Echoing that analysis, royal author Valentine Low agreed that: "There is almost no problem, national or international, that he (King Charles) does not wish to solve personally or feels a responsibility to solve."
King Charles has been said to be showing ‘greater personal happiness this year’ by a close friend
|GETTY
Despite those challenges, the King conducted official duties on 175 days over the past 12 months - making it the busiest of his reign so far.
To that end, throwing himself into his work as monarch appears to have greatly boosted the King’s mood despite the earlier setback.
"I have sensed in him greater personal happiness this last year," Charles’s friend observed.
Key to the raising of the monarch’s mood has been the public’s positive reception of him, his ally analysed.
The King has seen the busiest year of his reign so far, and is 'enjoying' the positive reception of the public
|GETTY
"He has sensed that people mean it when they say ‘I think you’re doing an amazing job,'" the ally explained.
He told The Telegraph that Charles was now "allowing himself the possibility that they might be speaking the truth".
Mr Low agreed, explaining that the monarch was clearly "enjoying" being mobbed by crowds during his various engagements.
The royal commentator added that King Charles was able to "feed off the energy of the crowds".
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Charles has seen through a challenging period with good humour
|GETTY
Exemplifying the monarch’s renewed sunny outlook despite his personal challenges, Charles made a self-deprecating joke about ageing during a visit to Birmingham last month.
The monarch struck up a warm conversation with 85-year-old patient Jacqueline Page, who told him: "I’m wearing out."
"I know," the King replied empathically.
He added with a chuckle: "This is the terrible thing, as I’m discovering already - the bits don’t work so well after you get past 70, do they?"