King Charles has sent a message of condolence to the people of Myanmar after Friday’s devastating earthquake.
A total of 1,644 people have now been confirmed dead as a result of the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which hit at midday local time on Friday. More than 3,400 people have been injured and 139 are still missing.
King Charles and Queen Camilla expressed their shock and profound sadness at the tragedy and sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the people of Myanmar.
In a statement shared on social media today, the King wrote: “My wife and I were most dreadfully shocked and saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, with its tragic loss of life and appalling damage to homes, buildings and livelihoods, not to mention the destruction of sacred pagodas, monasteries and other places of worship.
“I know that the people of Myanmar continue to endure so much hardship and tragedy in your lives, and I have long admired your extraordinary resilience and spirit.
“At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods.”
A message of condolence from His Majesty The King to the people of Myanmar following the devastating earthquake. pic.twitter.com/0Lfx9iBmMX
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 29, 2025
It comes as the King cancelled a planned visit to Birmingham on Friday, based on medical advice, as he recuperates from temporary side effects of his ongoing cancer treatment.
The monarch, 76, left Clarence House, his London residence, on Friday morning to travel to his estate in Gloucestershire.
His cancer diagnosis was announced in February 2024. Buckingham Palace did not reveal what type of cancer he has, nor what the side effects were.
Several aftershocks followed the earthquake on Friday afternoon, including a powerful 6.4-magnitude tremor. The shaking toppled buildings, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse, and even led to the rupture of a dam.
The earthquake’s powerful effects could be felt hundreds of miles away in Thai capital Bangkok, as well as in China and India.
In neighbouring Thailand, the quake was felt across the greater Bangkok area — home to around 17 million people — and other parts of the country.
Bangkok city authorities said six people have been confirmed dead so far, 26 injured, and 47 still missing, mostly from a collapsed construction site near the capital's popular Chatuchak market.
