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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Miriam Burrell

King reveals insight into cancer treatment during military ceremony with Prince William

The King has revealed that he lost his sense of taste during cancer treatment as he spoke to an army veteran who underwent chemotherapy for testicular cancer.

The conversation happened after Charles handed over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to the Prince of Wales in rare public engagement involving both the monarch and his son.

The monarch arrived by helicopter to Army Aviation Centre in Hampshire on Monday for the symbolic ceremony.

He had been Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps for 32 years - and now he will be succeeded by Prince William.

The King and Prince William during the official handover (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The King has returned to public engagements while his cancer treatment is ongoing.

British Army veteran Aaron Mapplebeck told Charles during his visit to the Army Air Corps that he had lost of his sense of taste amid chemotherapy, and the King revealed this had also happened to him, the Daily Mail reports.

Charles met veterans and families and saw exhibits in the Army Flying Museum on Monday, and unveiled a plaque commemorating an Apache helicopter going on display at the museum.

The helicopter type which Harry flew in service for his second tour of Afghanistan until 2014.

The King stands by helicopters at the Army Aviation Centre (AP)

After the King left the handover ceremony, Prince William, in his new role, was briefed on the current work of the Army Air Corps.

Harry did not meet the King during his time in London last week, when he marked the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The King greets fans at the Army Aviation Centre (AP)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Sunday finished a three-day visit to Nigeria in which Meghan praised ‘smart’ Harry as he promoted the importance of looking after mental health.

The couple visited a school and started their trip with a welcome at the Nigerian Defence HQ in capital Abuja to promote the Prince’s Invictus Games. They met army wives and top officers in the country’s military.

Prince Harry reportedly left his wife Meghan in Nigerian capital Abuja to visit a military hospital in a region deemed unsafe by the UK government. 

Nigeria sent its first Invictus Games team to the 2023 event in Dusseldorf. The next games will be held in Vancouver next year.

The King is expected to carry out his first major investiture on Tuesday since being diagnosed with cancer.

Charles will knight the Archbishop of Canterbury for his key role in the coronation, and bestow a damehood on bestselling author Dame Jilly Cooper.

The monarch, who was given permission by his doctors to return to public duties last month, will greet 52 recipients one by one at Windsor Castle.

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