THE King has cancelled two holidays abroad as he continues to have cancer treatment following his hospital dash.
He pulled out of a planned trip with Queen Camilla to an African spa retreat and his annual walking holiday in Romania.
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His Majesty, 76, is resting at his countryside home Highgrove this weekend after being taken to hospital on Thursday suffering side effects of his treatment.
It meant he was forced to cancel engagements in both London and Birmingham on Thursday and Friday.
It comes more than a year after he was diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer.
Now The Sun on Sunday can reveal the King was due to join Camilla on a short trip to a luxury spa resort in Africa earlier this month — but was forced to pull out only days in advance.
He is also postponing his annual visit to Romania in the spring — which usually involves arduous countryside walking.
An insider said: “Charles is a hardworking King, but he needs and deserves occasional time off. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t fly with Camilla, as it was hoped they could have a well-earned break together.
“He adores Romania and looks forward to visiting every year, but it would have involved just too much walking and he can’t face it right now.”
The King stopped off with Camilla to enjoy a break together at a spa in India on the return leg from their tour of Australia and Samoa last autumn.
His Majesty has also given up his annual skiing trip with pals to Klosters, in Switzerland.
He went there almost every spring for 45 years, but stopped ahead of his Coronation in 2023, amid fears he could get injured.
Buckingham Palace said it does not comment on members of the Royal Family’s private time.
And Palace officials have dismissed the hospital drama as a “minor bump in the road”, describing the trip on Thursday to the London Clinic as an “unscheduled hospital visit”.
It is understood potential diary clashes could also have caused him to cancel the foreign trips.
The Palace insists the King will be able to jet to Italy for a State visit, which kicks off on April 7.
But the King and Queen will no longer be meeting the Pope, due to the pontiff’s ill health.
His Majesty will hold talks in Rome with Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni — a key European leader who is widely seen as a bridge between Europe and Trump’s America.
It comes as traditional political alliances have come under strain after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump telling Europe the days of relying on his country for defence are over.
In the face of these new challenges, the King has taken on a bigger role on the political world stage.
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump a letter from His Majesty, inviting him to an “unprecedented” second UK State visit — a crucial part of No 10’s charm offensive.
The President — a huge fan of Britain and the Royal Family — described the King as a “beautiful, wonderful man”.
The King will also host Trump for a lower-profile trip at Balmoral, his Scottish castle, later this year.
His Majesty’s cancellation of his annual spring walking holiday in Romania is certain to be a disappointment to him.
He owns a traditional farmhouse in the remote village of Viscri, which he bought in 2006 after falling in love with the picturesque village.
The home is open to the public when the King is not staying there.
The Sun revealed yesterday how Prince Harry only discovered his father was in hospital last week via news reports.
It is understood Harry, who lives in Montecito, California, with wife Meghan and their two children, was not contacted as the Palace did not want to alarm him.
On Friday, His Majesty was driven 100 miles from his London home Clarence House to his Highgrove House country bolt-hole in Gloucestershire a day after his hospital visit.
He has private meetings there tomorrow and is likely to return to full public duties next week.
Palace sources said he may “prune a little here and there” from his workload, but it will be “business as usual”.
Last week, during a visit to a research laboratory, the King said his motto is to “keep buggering on”, a phrase used by PM Winston Churchill during the Second World War, meaning “don’t give up”.
A source said Charles has been in good spirits, “laughing and joking” with his team of staff.
