After the emotional commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VE-Day at the beginning of May – including 11-year-old Prince George meeting Second World War veterans at a Buckingham Palace tea party – at the end of the month we witnessed the crossing of more than 70 ‘Little Ships’ from Ramsgate to Dunkirk. The ships that have survived frequently have trouble in the heavy seas of the English Channel, so were escorted by Royal Navy warships to their destination to honour the 85th anniversary of the epic evacuation in 1940.
The month of June provides the most glamorous time of the year for royal pageantry: the King’s Birthday Parade on the second Saturday; Garter Day the following week; and then five days of Royal Ascot. The racing concludes on Saturday 21 June – the Prince of Wales’s 43rd birthday.
Since Charles III’s accession William is being hailed as a rising global ambassador, leaving his father to carry on with the duties of monarch. At the end of April, the King delivered an inspiring message to those who support cancer sufferers, both voluntarily and professionally, and with the Queen he hosted a reception for them at Buckingham Palace. Having revealed that every day more than 1,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed, the King went on to express his thoughts:
‘Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones. But as one amongst those statistics myself, I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity.
‘It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years. And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits – that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.
‘What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection – whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the hand held by a hospice volunteer, or the shared experience in a support group. These moments of kinship create what I might call a “community of care”, one that sustains patients through the most difficult of times.
‘So to all the researchers pursuing breakthroughs; to the healthcare professionals; to the volunteers offering comfort or campaigning to raise awareness, and the fundraisers enabling all this vital work – you have my whole family’s deepest admiration and gratitude.
