King, Queen and Princess of Wales mark Cancer Research UK's 125th anniversary in first joint cancer engagement
King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted a reception at St James's Palace on June 2 marking the 125th anniversary of Cancer Research UK, joined by the Princess of Wales in the first joint cancer-related engagement by th.
At a glance
- Charles and Camilla hosted a Cancer Research UK 125th-anniversary reception at St James's Palace on June 2, 2026
- The Princess of Wales attended in the first joint cancer-related engagement with the King since both revealed diagnoses in 2024
- The event launched the charity's 125th-anniversary year with exhibits on prevention, diagnosis and treatment
- Kate met Sebastian Bowen, widower of Dame Deborah James
- Earlier on June 2 the King held an investiture at Windsor honouring Phil Spencer (MBE) and Sir Idris Elba (knighthood)
VERDICT — CONFIRMED
King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted a reception at St James's Palace on June 2 marking the 125th anniversary of Cancer Research UK, joined by the Princess of Wales in the first joint cancer-related engagement by the King and Kate since both disclosed cancer diagnoses in 2024. The King is patron of the charity, and the reception launched its 125th-anniversary year with exhibits charting the organisation's history and its current work in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, bringing together researchers, clinicians, volunteers and partners.
The Princess of Wales, who announced in January 2025 that she was in remission following chemotherapy, wore a red dress with a white heart print and spoke at length with Sebastian Bowen, husband of the late journalist and campaigner Dame Deborah James, known to millions as 'BowelBabe.' Royal correspondents described the gathering as a poignant moment of royals publicly united by personal experience of the disease. Earlier the same day at Windsor Castle, the King conferred honours including an MBE on television presenter Phil Spencer for charitable work and a knighthood on actor Sir Idris Elba.
Why it matters
by anchoring the monarchy's most personal shared experience to its biggest health-charity patronage, the reception showed how Charles and Catherine have converted illness into one of the institution's most potent and unifying public narratives.
Key facts on file
- Charles and Camilla hosted a Cancer Research UK 125th-anniversary reception at St James's Palace on June 2, 2026
- The Princess of Wales attended in the first joint cancer-related engagement with the King since both revealed diagnoses in 2024
- The event launched the charity's 125th-anniversary year with exhibits on prevention, diagnosis and treatment
- Kate met Sebastian Bowen, widower of Dame Deborah James
- Earlier on June 2 the King held an investiture at Windsor honouring Phil Spencer (MBE) and Sir Idris Elba (knighthood)
