King Charles reveals big regret over cancer-sufferer Dame Deborah James

The King told the parents of that he was “so sorry I didn’t meet her”, adding that the late campaigner who died in 2022 was “a force of nature”. in the white drawing room at before moving into the ballroom to join 500 guests who had been invited to a reception to celebrate people within the cancer “community” on Wednesday.

Speaking afterwards, Dame Deborah’s mother, Heather said it was an “honour” for the King to have echoed her daughter's words in his written message to guests. Heather, who said that she sympathised with what Catherine’s mother Carole Middleton was going through, said: “It was lovely to be introduced to the king and I did thank him for being open with his diagnosis and said how much of a difference that would make to the public.”

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Alistair, who was wearing socks embroidered with his late daughter’s phrase “rebellious hope”, which was used in the King’s message, said: “I think both him and the King realised that she was a force of nature so it would have been wonderful to meet her.”

Speaking about the time that came to visit their daughter in the family garden in 2022, Alistair added: “We did also tell him how wonderful it was when William came to meet her in the garden.”

Guests included the Duchess of York, Wes Streeting the health secretary, Victoria Derbyshire, Richard E Grant, Amy Dowden, Roberts, Ashley Cain and Lorraine Kelly.

Speaking to Adele Roberts, a presenter and DJ who had bowel cancer in 2021, the King was told that she took part in the London marathon at the weekend. He asked her: “You didn’t run in some made thing disguised as a frog?” “No,” she replied, laughing.

The Duchess of York, who had breast cancer and skin cancer, made a surprise appearance in the palace ballroom.

Sarah Ferguson, who has worked with the teenage cancer trust for 35 years, said that she had been “kindly invited” to the reception by her former brother-in-law the King.

Speaking about the King, she said: “I think the King is an absolutely brilliant example on revolutionising [the discussion around cancer]. Also, he does that in everything he does. He always puts his whole heart into everything he does.”

Speaking about cancer, Ferguson added: “My father died of it, my stepfather died of it, everybody has been close to cancer so it’s pretty wonderful to be here with people I have been close to.”

Lorraine Kelly, the television presenter, sang the song Golden for the King and Queen along with her choir Change + Check.

The song, about cancer diagnosis, was written for the choir which began after producer Helen Addis was diagnosed with cancer.

Kelly, presenter of the eponymous Lorraine show, who was wearing pink along with the rest of the choir said: “The Queen said, “Oh, I should have worn pink,” which I thought was really sweet. It was so nice of her. But she was gorgeous.

“It’s amazing, especially what the King’s gone through, what Catherine has gone through as well, to open up his house to all of us. Most of us have got some sort of connection with cancer, I’ve not gone through it myself but I have friends and everybody is touched by it.”

Addis, who founded the choir, added: “It is opening up more conversations. Hopefully we’re going to be encouraging more people to check their boobs.”

The King and Queen then spent time separately speaking to some of the other guests who included cancer patients, medics and people from cancer charities including Marie Curie and Maggie’s.

Tim Lowe, co-founder of Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment, said: “I told the King that if he grew his hair ten inches he could donate it to us but he said he even had trouble growing his eyebrows.”