King Charles to carry first investiture since identified with most cancers
The King is to undertake his first investiture since being diagnosed with cancer, handing out honours to luminaries as diverse as the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dame Jilly Cooper next week.
The Mail can reveal that His Majesty has been given permission by doctors to undertake the largest indoor engagement so far since his diagnosis at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
The last one he conducted was on December 19, a month before he first went in to hospital.
Many of those being invested are being thanked for their support in organising his coronation .
King Charles pictured visiting the Royal School of Military Engineering on May 9
The King is to knight the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured)
The Most Reverend Justin Welby is to become only the second serving leader of the Church of England in recent history to be knighted.
He will officially become a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for his personal service to the Crown.
His knighthood was first revealed by the Mail last year.
Other coronation ‘gongs’ go to the Dean of Westminster – the first person to greet Their Majesties at the abbey and played a key role in the ceremony – who also becomes a Knight Commander of the RVO and Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music, who is to become a Dame.
The Queen’s deputy private secretary, Belinda Kim, will become a Lieutenant of the RVO as will the Receiver-General at Westminster Abbey, Paul Baumann and Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, Brigade Major of the Household Division who also played in a key role in on the day.
Queen of the ‘bonkbuster’, Dame Jilly Cooper will be honoured for her services to literature and charity.
The author of Riders and Rivals has just brought out her 52nd book – Tackle! – at the age of 87.
Dame Jilly Cooper (pictured in 2010) is also set to be handed honours by the King for services to literature and charity
Last month it was revealed that Charles’ medical team had given him permission to begin to undertake more public engagements, although he has been working hard behind the scenes throughout.
He still has an undisclosed form of cancer and is continuing to undergo treatment, but they are sufficiently pleased at his progress that he will now be allowed to undertake more ‘forward-facing’ duties.
He hosted a garden party this week and is hopeful of attending key events such as the D-Day commemorations and Trooping the Colour.
Queen Camilla has said several times that she has had trouble ‘holding him back’, while the King said earlier this week that he was delighted to be ‘out of my cage’.
