an important statement from buckingham palace . and it's good buckingham palace. and it's good news. his majesty the king is to return to public duties after the positive effects of his cancer treatment, the statement reads. his majesty the king will shortly return to public facing dufies shortly return to public facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. to help mark this milestone , the king and queen milestone, the king and queen will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next tuesday, where they will meet medical specialist and patients. this visit will be the first in a number of external engagements. his majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead. in addition, the king and queen will host their majesties the emperor and empress of japan for a state visit in june at the request of his majesty's government. as the first anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the

many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around they have received from around the world. throughout the joys and challenges of the past year. that statements coming through from buckingham palace in the last few moments accompanying thatis last few moments accompanying that is a new photograph of the king and queen. it was taken at buckingham palace in the garden on the morning of the 10th of april, the day after their majesty's 19th wedding majesty's19th wedding anniversary . it's a new image to anniversary. it's a new image to mark the anniversary of the coronation by photographer millie pilkington, her majesty the queen. they're wearing a indigo day dress with velvet detail by fiona clare. clearly this is very positive news. michelle i think it's going to be a boost for the monarchy. it's been a terrible few months really, with both the king and the princess of wales's cancer diagnosis. but a note of caution here. the king has not been cured of cancer. he is still very much undergoing cancer treatment, according to royal sources, but the king is clearly keen to resume to public duties here. peter phillips a few weeks

ago, his his nephew said that the king was incredibly frustrated of how long his cancer treatment and recovery was taking. but a buckingham palace spokesperson says that doctors are sufficiently pleased with his progress and that is why they have released a statement today. >> so there you go, everybody. people often get in touch and say, why is the world so full of doom and gloom , so this is doom and gloom, so this is a really positive step forward. and it ends in lots of ways, lots of speculation . that, of lots of speculation. that, of course, has been running rafe and michelle dewberry . i'm with and michelle dewberry. i'm with you till 7:00 tonight alongside me to look at this news. we've got the professor of politics at the university of kent, matt goodwin, and the broadcast journalist peter de silva. good evening to both of you. very very keen. i am to bring you into the conversation tonight. what's your reaction to this breaking news from buckingham palace tonight? you can get in touch with me all the usual ways. you can email me gb views @gbnews. com or of course you

can go to our website and on that front page there you will see on the top left hand side your essay. you can get involved there as well and talk to me and each other directly. and of course you can tweet or x me cameron walker if you will. if people are just tuning in. of course, this is great news tonight. our king, king charles, is going to return to public duty. in fact, actually, let me get a comment from you two first and then cameron in a second. we'll just bring us up to speed with some of the background. and matt, your thoughts? >> well, it's great news, isn't it? >> it's the news the nation has been hoping to hear. and what struck me about that statement, michelle, is that the very first thing the king is going to do is give back to the country to go and visit a cancer ward, to go and visit a cancer ward, to go and visit a cancer ward, to go and visit specialists and patients. and i think , again, patients. and i think, again, you know, he sets a remarkable role model . you know, the first role model. you know, the first thing is, is to focus his mind on public duty and commitment to, to the public square. i

think that's a remarkable, and a deeply impressive reaction to his current predicament. >> qaddita, i think the first thing that struck me is that i just thought to myself, all of this is no one's business. it should be his private ordeal to go through with family. but then you kind of remember that as the royal family, they do owe the country. like i've said before, pubuc country. like i've said before, public service, but not personal information . but nature abhors a information. but nature abhors a vacuum, so having nothing there would only lead to speculation, which could then turn toxic . so which could then turn toxic. so now you'll be i was kind of now appreciating on a different level the weight of the position. he holds that something this personal to a certain point has to be made pubucin certain point has to be made public in order to maintain a status quo for both his family and the country. yeah. >> and of course, there's been a huge, uptake now in the amount of people that are actually going for, checks and all the rest of it because they themselves are perhaps noticing some symptoms. maybe they've turned a blind eye or something. and then this news, not just of king charles, of course, but of the princess of wales, as well

about her cancer diagnosis. the princess of wales, as well about her cancer diagnosis . they about her cancer diagnosis. they have spared people, and we know this because of our data. we've been receiving about the amount the surge of people getting checks. but, cameron, back to you because just if you will take people back, bring everyone up to speed with the background of this. >> yeah, it's been a busy few months, hasn't it. so it was the 17th of january that buckingham palace announced that the king would be having treatments for a benign, enlarged prostate and he would be admitted into hospital a few days later. it was on the 26th of january that the king, alongside the queen, who was with him when they went into hospital, was admitted into the london clinic in the capital here for treatments. he was discharged the following monday. on the 29th of january, but then a week later, on the 5th of february, news that shocked the world was that the king had been diagnosed with a separate form of cancer. so not prostate cancen of cancer. so not prostate cancer, but another undisclosed form of cancer. and that's when buckingham palace said he would stop public duties and he would be having outpatient treatments in hospital for that cancer

diagnosis. and then we saw him kind of sporadically behind the scenes. we got a smattering of photographs from buckingham palace of him maybe meeting the prime minister, for example, or or an ambassador. and then on easter sunday, we saw him for the first time since that cancer diagnosis. greeting members of the public outside saint george's chapel in windsor, which was a little bit of a surprise, i think, to many of us royal watchers and correspondents, because we've been told repeatedly that the king had to avoid large crowds, and we knew that the saint george's chapel, service on easter sunday was scaled back because of partly because of the king's cancer diagnosis. and yes, it was a very positive sign that he was greeting the public. and then, of course, we saw him on sunday driving his wife, the to queen, crathie kirk church. even in balmoral, he was pictured there again, another sign he is doing well. pictured there again, another sign he is doing well . and then, sign he is doing well. and then, of course, we get this statement this evening saying he's returning to public duties. >> indeed, i'm very keen to bnng >> indeed, i'm very keen to bring you guys in at home

tonight because you never know, king charles might be watching dewbs& co and i'm sure you're well. wishes will go far. josh says. great news. god save the king. james says, i'm really pleased this seems like some good news. maggie says yes , yes. good news. maggie says yes, yes. very welcome. good news. welcome back. are king, great news, says alan. god bless the king. and david says, this is fantastic news from buckingham palace. it really is nice to get good news in the midst of all the doom and gloom that seems to exist everywhere there just now. well, i'm joined live by the former bbc royal correspondent, michael cole. good evening to you, michael. your reaction to this news tonight ? news tonight? >> good evening michelle. it is great news as cameron says, and that picture, it's great isn't it? them laughing on the first day of . can you not hear me? day of. can you not hear me? i can now . can how. >> can now. >> sorry, michael, okay. michelle, i was just saying it's

a great picture. the laughing on the first day of 20th year of their marriage. i was there on a freezing cold day, even colder than late, when they married at 2005. now, this good news today means that besides that excellent visit to the cancer centre, he will be able to attend and preside and take the salute at the trooping of the colour. then on later in june, there's royal ascot. it's a good job he's going there because he owns the racecourse and then there are usually three garden parties , either at windsor or parties, either at windsor or buckingham palace during the summer , and the great autumn summer, and the great autumn aheadis summer, and the great autumn ahead is state visits to australia and new zealand, and then the jon rahm. the commonwealth heads of government meeting in samoa and if they're very lucky, and i would advise them, maybe they could do it on

november the 5th, guy fawkes day, they run the melbourne cup in australia. now that is the greatest day of australian social and sporting life. and if they can be there and i'm sure queen camilla would love it, i think that would go down extraordinarily well with the australians . so this is a day australians. so this is a day of, you know, quiet rejoicing that the king is back where he should be leading the country. and one thing i can say for sure , and i started reporting on him in october 1967. that's 56 years ago when he started at trinity college, cambridge. i have never seen him look so happy. it's so extraordinary. he's got cancer. but when he came out of, windsor castle at easter and met that crowd there, he looked relaxed. he looked happy . he looked, he looked happy. he looked, content. he looked a man within himself and very, very much at ease with the life he's had. that's when he came out of the

hospital, of course, the london clinic. and we didn't know quite. and we still do not know the actual nature of the cancer, apart from the fact that it's not prostate cancer . not prostate cancer. >> yeah, indeed. and actually, one of my panellists were just there . we were talking about there. we were talking about whether or not the royals should be as open, about their health matters as what they currently are being. do you think that's the right approach ? the right approach? >> i think they've got it about right , i >> i think they've got it about right, i think when they did, at our urging, at come forward with some of the facts, i think that was only right and proper. but even if we knew the nature , the even if we knew the nature, the exact nature, michelle, we would never say so . it would have to never say so. it would have to be left to buckingham palace to announce that sort of detail. of course, he's the head of state. of course he's the person of pubuc of course he's the person of public personality. he's a world figure. but he's entitled to his privacy and the way that he wants to announce it is the way that it should be announced. and i'm sure in due course, as he feels comfortable with it and as

the, the treatment progresses and it sounds as if it's progressing well, i'm sure he will take that in advisement. i mean, he was surprised , mean, he was surprised, agreeably surprised by the terrific reaction when he had made this announcement of cancen made this announcement of cancer. how it stimulated the interest in the various cancer charities and got people checking themselves out . all of checking themselves out. all of this is a very good thing. it's what a leader of a country should do, and he's doing it supremely well indeed. >> and of course, is not the only member of the royal family that's battling with cancer at the moment. of course, we do have princess catherine, as well, the princess of wales . she well, the princess of wales. she still, undergoing treatment , we believe. >> yeah. look there we see her in in earlier times. and let us hope she comes back to that. you know, we couldn't have a better princess of wales. of course , princess of wales. of course, she had easter with the family up at anmer hall, her husband was there. he's gone back to pubuc was there. he's gone back to

public life , she's undergoing public life, she's undergoing treatment. she's told the children that , you know, she'll children that, you know, she'll get over it. and my goodness, don't we hope that she will and she'll get back to full fitness and very promptly, too, she's a great, a great asset to this country. and the king absolutely adores her. he's made her a companion of honour. that's a rare or rare rare honour. no other member of the royal family has ever been made a companion of honour by the monarch. at the time . so that is a precedent time. so that is a precedent setting. and it shows the high regard he holds her in because she's done a great job and she's done things that perhaps nobody else could do, and he's facing up extremely bravely. i'm sure everybody in the studio and around the world would would agree. the way she wrote her statement , the way she delivered statement, the way she delivered it, the way she's faced up to something that somebody at her age 42, shouldn't be facing . but age 42, shouldn't be facing. but she is, and she's taking it on

board and for the sake of her children, she's being extraordinarily brave and courageous. and of course, we all wish her well . all wish her well. >> we certainly do. and on that note, we'll end it there. but for now, thank you very much. that's michael collier, the former bbc royal correspondent . former bbc royal correspondent. i want to pick up, though, cameron, because michael collier was looking ahead to future royal engagements and actually it's not necessarily been confirmed yet, which engagements. we're just talking about trooping of the colour etc. those details haven't yet been confirmed. >> yes, i understand it's not going to be a full diary of summer engagements for the king, but he will be doing a lot more than he would have done if he were still receiving pretty strong cancer treatment. so a buckingham palace spokesperson tells me that planning is continuing for him to attend events such as his birthday parade, trooping the colour, the d—day commemorations in france, of course, 80 years since d—day. this year, of course , we've got this year, of course, we've got buckingham palace garden parties as well as the one up in edinburgh as well royal ascot and the widely reported tour to

australia and new zealand. following as michael was saying, the commonwealth heads of government meeting in samoa that is planned for the autumn or is still in the plans, is still being planned but nothing is being planned but nothing is being confirmed. i'm told that all future engagements do remain subject to doctors advice and doctor's orders, and appropriate adjustments perhaps will be made depending on the king's health at the time. but planning is still very much continuing, and i think we should remain hopeful that the king will be able to attend at least some of them, i should just say. also, the prime minister has tweeted in the last few minutes saying brilliant news to end the week. >> it is actually, it does feel like a nice positive boost for the nation. some good, good vibes out there. and of course, many of you in your own families and perhaps in your own lives as well, will be touched by cancer as well. so hearing positive stories about people responding well and positively to treatment

, of course, is always inspiring as well. one of my viewers, sylvia, says it's absolutely fantastic news that king charles feels well enough to carry out some public duties. long live the king! and karen says, wow , the king! and karen says, wow, i've got to say, michelle, i almost stopped breathing for a second when i saw it pop up, but then i heard the good news about then i heard the good news about the king, and i must admit, i burst into tears . she says. i burst into tears. she says. i confess that reaction took me by surprise, a little bit later on in the program , we'll get into in the program, we'll get into the details. actually, of the reaction. i know you've done some polling on this, matt, and we'll revisit this or sorry, we'll revisit this or sorry, we'll visit it shortly within this program. but for now, this sentiment of good news, it is it is coming through thick and fast on the inbox, and it's what people needed. >> i think that's right. i think , you know, the news cycle generally is quite gloomy, quite pessimistic. and i think people want to be reminded about some of the good stuff that's happening. and i think you've just made a really important point, michelle. this isn't just

about, you know, everybody in the country. this is also about everybody struggling with cancer and their families and the messaging that's come out of the royal family, both through, the princess's remarkable statement when she revealed that she was deaung when she revealed that she was dealing with cancer, but also the king and the way that they both really carried themselves in public during this ordeal, i think will be really inspirational for a lot of people. and that is ultimately, you know, one of the key jobs of the royal family, the monarchy is to bring us together during moments of crisis . and for many moments of crisis. and for many families, cancer is exactly that. it's a serious , sustained that. it's a serious, sustained crisis and many will be taking strength from this event. and also just watching. i think charles and catherine go go through this ordeal. >> indeed, marian , one of my >> indeed, marian, one of my viewers says great news. my prayers for king charles have been answered, she says she's been answered, she says she's been really desperately hoping to hear this news. she said he, in her experience, is a great, warm person . she says she met

warm person. she says she met him 42 years ago, when he opened the. i'm sure i'm going to pronounce this wrong. the culloden visitor centre near inverness. she says god save our king. and he's praying that we managed to get some more great news for princess catherine, i mean, this this sentiment of data of positivity , and data of positivity, and something that people can unite around and go into their weekends, yes. it's not directly related to them or their family, but i do think a lot of people certainly what i'm reading in the inbox, they are feeling inspired and hopeful and positive this evening because of this. >> yeah, i think it works on multiple levels because the royal family, let's face it, has been pretty much embattled for the last couple of years. and to see them go through something that in an ironic way, even though many people say they're out of touch, like you said, cancer is a great leveller. it doesn't discriminate it. and so it's humanised them in a way. and they've become between charles and catherine, they've become a kind of talisman for what is the cancer journey, though for each person it's

individual. that's why this kind of outburst of emotion is understandable, because you're getting someone with the eyes of the world on them, showing the humanity of going through personal struggle. and on top of that, putting personal duty above that struggle. so it's something to be commended . so in something to be commended. so in a very, very cynical way, it's fantastic pr for the royal family. they've suffered a lot of negativity in recent times. >> just just briefly on that, michelle, the other thing that strikes me, just looking at the photos that have been released, you know, it's very clear that the king wants the queen to be very prominent, very front and centre in this battle that he's that he's having with cancer. and it reminds us that she's also stepped up in a massive way over the last few weeks and months to take on what the statement from the palace today describes as a full programme of activity. and i think this is also as much about partnership obugafion also as much about partnership obligation , responsibility as it obligation, responsibility as it is about his individual journey with cancer and the battle there that's involved. and it's a reminder, i think, to everybody

about, you know, what role she's fulfilling as well. >> indeed, if you are just joining us, you're wondering what is going on this evening. well, we've just brought you the fantastic, positive news that our king is going to return back to public duty. he is, responding seemingly well, well enough to go back to work to his cancer treatment. i am bringing you into the conversation this evening. keir says this is just the need that the country. just the need that the country. just the news that the country needed. welcome back, your majesty. she says, don't go anywhere. we'll be back in two.

hello there. i'm michelle dewberry, and i'm with you until 7:00 tonight. and of course, we have big breaking news this evening. and guess what? it's actually positive news for once. it's nice, isn't it? to have

something to feel good about. in case you've just tuned in, you're wondering what on earth i'm talking about. i'll cross to our royal correspondent, cameron walker for the details. >> yes, some very positive news from buckingham palace this evening, confirming that the king is going to be a going back to public duties. the statement says his majesty the king will shortly return to public facing dufies shortly return to public facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. to help mark this milestone, the king and queen will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next tuesday, where they will meet medical specialists and patients . this visit will be the first in a number of external engagements her majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead. in addition, the king and queen will host their majesties the emperor and empress of japan for a state visit in june at the request of his majesty's government. as the first anniversary of the coronation approaches , their majesties approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around they have received from around the world. throughout the joys and challenges of the past year.

the prime minister says some very good news to end the week. and of course, the king. huge asset to the government. his power of soft diplomacy and the fact he can host a state visit for a very important ally to the uk will be welcome news to the british government as well. >> yeah, indeed. keep your thoughts coming in. catherine says michelle, what good news indeed. and a fantastic relief. she says. god bless all of the royal family. we need much more of this good news is, i'm really interested as well. if you or your family have been touched by cancen your family have been touched by cancer, how do you feel about this news? does it give you some kind of positivity? does it give you some hope for the future, linda on twitter actually says she thinks about me and my family because yes, indeed, my partner was very recently diagnosed with quite an advanced grade of prostate cancer. as i've discussed on this program before. so yeah, it's certainly touched my family , and i imagine touched my family, and i imagine it's perhaps touched many of

yours too. i'm joined, actually, by the cancer specialist, professor karol sikora, good evening to you , professor, we evening to you, professor, we know , that the king does still know, that the king does still have, cancer. i think it's safe to assume he must be responding well to his treatment, because, of course, he is returning to these public duties. and i think, at one stage in time, professor, when you heard that word cancer , it was a stop. you word cancer, it was a stop. you in your tracks. it still is actually a stop. you in your tracks kind of word, which bnngs tracks kind of word, which brings out huge emotions in people. but the kind of survival rates and the treatment methods these days are really advanced . these days are really advanced. >> no, it really has. i mean, when i started as a consultant many years ago, only about a third of patients survived a cancer diagnosis. now it's more than a half. and, you know , it's than a half. and, you know, it's just tremendous news that the doctors are letting him go back to work. it's pretty stressful what he does. it may seem a doddle, but it's not. you can

tell it's. it's not a doddle. the organisation, the logistics, the chances of something going wrong on these royal visits is high. so it is very stressful. so they're allowing him to go back, which means that the cancer must be under control. it must be now . cancer must be under control. it must be now. he's had cancer must be under control. it must be now . he's had three must be now. he's had three months of treatment. we've been asked not to speculate where the cancer is. i mean, most oncologists would know where it is, but we're not going to speculate that. but he has had treatment. he's continuing on treatment. he's continuing on treatment. but the great news as we've heard, is he going back to work. and that can only mean it's under control, perhaps not being, on this journey. >> what kind of toll does cancer treatment take on a person ? treatment take on a person? >> it takes a lot. first is the emotion. often the worst thing about having cancer and anyone who's listening that has cancer will recognise is this is the uncertainty you're dealing with. the uncertainty . what's going to the uncertainty. what's going to happen next week? what's going to happen next month? will the

treatment work? will the scan be positive or negative ? when i go positive or negative? when i go back for follow up, will the blood test allow me to have treatment? but these are all the questions. day to day. you become obsessed with it. i mean, i've fortunately never had cancen i've fortunately never had cancer, but i've seen a lot of people obviously that have and thatis people obviously that have and that is living with uncertainty. the biggest problem sitting there on your own moping is not a good way to handle it. you counselling psychotherapy, complementary therapies can help a bit, but at the end of the day, you've got to get over the uncertainty and, you know, the fact that king charles is going back to work is tremendous because it means he can now forget about the cancer , can be forget about the cancer, can be put behind him and he can move forward and getting back to what he's good at. and i think that is just tremendous that that happens. >> and do you think actually, because we've had a discussion about the openness of the royal families, of course, not just here with the king, but also with the princess of wales as well. this whole openness around

cancer and sharing, stories is, you know, that that does. and we know based on kind of some of the statistics that have been coming out, it has inspired people to come forward, hasn't it? >> it's totally changed in my professional career. when we started, i remember we put at hammersmith hospital, where i was the director. we put hammersmith cancer centre above the door and some of my colleagues were horrified . they colleagues were horrified. they wrote me rather furious letters saying, you can't do that . you saying, you can't do that. you can't put cancer above the door of a cancer centre. now we're used to that. and it's moving forward. i mean, as cancer gets treated better and better as the years go by, it has less of a serious impact on people's psyche. when they first hear that diagnosis. and of course, there are many more treatments on offer today than there were when i began as a consultant. so things have changed quite dramatically and will change continuously. google's help people can find anything on google. some of it's rubbish. there are over a billion

websites that have cancer in the in the name . some of it is half in the name. some of it is half of them are probably rubbish, but a lot of them are very good indeed to find information. it's a level playing field between the doctor and the patient. now in terms of information, it wasn't 30, 40 years ago. >> and you know, you know , this >> and you know, you know, this is all i mean, obviously i'm very pleased for the seemingly successful treatment that the king is receiving, but there'll be some people watching this that perhaps don't have the level of access to health care . level of access to health care. let's be frank that perhaps our king does, you know how easy is it these days? because, i mean, you will know the statistics as to how many people are touched by cancer, but how many? how easy is it for people to actually get the access to the help that they need in a timely manner on the nhs? >> yeah, the biggest stumbling block is getting started. >> you know, the quality of care, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery is excellent. the quality of care in the nhs is fantastic . the in the nhs is fantastic. the reason our survival statistics

are poor compared with the rest we're right down the bottom of europe is you just don't get diagnosed quickly. king charles had his diagnosed in a sense by accident. he went in with one thing the prostate, the enlarged prostate, which is publicly disclosed. but then he was found to have cancer . the type, as to have cancer. the type, as i say, wasn't disclosed. so that's rather different . but most of rather different. but most of us, you have a symptom of cancen us, you have a symptom of cancer. you go to your gp, it takes a month to get a gp appointment sometimes. then you have to wait. you get a hospital appointment, then you wait for a scan, you wait for a biopsy. it can take up to six months all the time. the cancer is growing. it's that diagnostic delay that makes the nhs so poor. and it's just like going through an airport on a bank holiday. you've got multiple queues. once you've got through one, you're stuck in the back of another. you know, we've got it systems that could stop that, it's you'll get me going tonight about it. but that's the current problem with cancer treatment in the nhs. it's not the quality of

the nhs. it's not the quality of the doctors , the nurses, the the doctors, the nurses, the technical staff. it's the speed and access and the management of the whole process . the whole process. >> indeed. there you go. that's professor karol sikora , the professor karol sikora, the cancer specialist. thank you very much for your insight, janet, on twitter x has said, michelle, how come your guests have just said it wasn't prostate cancer there? that's because it is. we've had it confirmed previously on not this on this statement here, but the previous statement actually specifically said it was not prostate cancer . but, they prostate cancer. but, they decided not to tell us the type of cancer that it was, and i've got to say , i connect that with got to say, i connect that with what karol sikora was just saying, the professor, because when my partner had his, operation, shall we say, for his prostate cancer, we were, of course, at the cancer hospital. i was struck by how large the word cancer. i mean, it was it was everywhere. it was just a huge cancer. the whole hospital was centred around cancer , and was centred around cancer, and obviously the professor was just

saying that there is obviously a good thing. cameron walker, we've had reaction from the leader of the labour party. >> yeah we have. sir keir starmer has tweeted delighted to see his majesty looking so well and returning to public duties on behalf of the labour party. i wish him and the princess of wales the best as they continue their recovery with the support of their families. quite a lengthy statement there on twitter from sir keir starmer. >> yeah , and of course, a couple >> yeah, and of course, a couple of my viewers have just referenced it. there are getting in touch and saying, well, you know , it's excellent for him. know, it's excellent for him. he's got access to the highest level of healthcare and the nhs is something that people worry about massively. and it's all well and good. telling people we've raised awareness, go and get tested and checked, but you have to be able to access the treatment in a timely manner and that's a huge concern for people in the nhs. >> i think, i think, i think that's right. i mean, in fairness though, reading the statement today, they the palace has not gone into detail about what specific health care the king has been receiving . we

king has been receiving. we don't know the details in and out of that, but i mean, the nhs, you know, there was the famous quip about the nhs is sometimes it does take a long time to get through the initial process , but once a diagnosis is process, but once a diagnosis is made, the nhs tends to do better at kicking into action, particularly with serious illnesses. but look, i mean, the nhs is a number two issue in the country right now. we've got an election on the horizon, which, you know, if you speak to people in westminster today, as i was, they're saying the elections coming in june, right. so let's see. but nhs is number two. there's a big issue about how we're going to reform the nhs, how we're going to cut down those waiting lists. got labour talking about it, wes streeting talking about it, wes streeting talking about it, the conservatives worrying about it. so you know, of course it's an issue. it's a challenge. it's a worry for everybody out there who's dealing with a serious illness. >> it is because access to health care, as we've just been touching on there, cancer does not discriminate. it doesn't matter if you're a king or paupenit matter if you're a king or pauper, it doesn't matter, and it is, as matt is saying, one of the top, top worries among people in society. can i access the nhs when i need it? and the

waiting list at the moment, concerned people. yeah i think the this journey for king charles is great as a proof of concept because, as doctor sikora said , it's not about sikora said, it's not about quality of care, it's about diagnostic delays . diagnostic delays. >> and by showing that how he's even, they've even said it's the buckingham palace statements that he's so thankful to the medical team because what was in the treatment of one condition, they discovered another and acted quickly. so it's showing that if you get people to a diagnosis quicker, the nhs can provide the care they need to get treatment. so by showing that a man in his 70s can battle something like this and get back to work full time, it's it just it's administrative errors are preventing the system from doing what it is capable of doing. so that gives more impetus to the arguments going forward. when you have king charles as your proof of concept that fix the fix the administration issues and the system will work better. >> indeed, rob says, i need to just chip in and say i am delighted for king charles and i

wish him all the very best with his ongoing treatment. he says god save the king, i mean, this is just coming through, jenny says , best of luck to our king. says, best of luck to our king. king charles may's health only continued to improve. so many people are really feeling very pleased about this news. josh says, michelle, this fantastic news will give people hope. he says is absolutely amazing how our mood is affected by what happens with the royals. you raise an interesting point there. one of my panel, matt goodwin, he's actually done some polling into reactions to the royals. how handy to have him alongside me tonight , we'll look alongside me tonight, we'll look at this and a little bit more detail. the point you just made there. josh when we come back in

hello there. michelle dewberry with you till 7:00 tonight. on

the night where? we've got some big breaking news about our king, cameron walker. >> yes, some very positive news, actually, from buckingham palace saying that the king is going to be returning to public duties after the positive effect of his cancer treatment. we've had a lengthy statement from buckingham palace. we've also had a photograph to accompany it of the king and the queen taken in the buckingham palace garden a couple of weeks ago, marking almost the one year anniversary since the coronation. buckingham palace have also confirmed that the king will be visiting a cancer specialist ward next week, with the queen, an official visit, and will be hosting the emperor and empress of japan for a state visit in june. so lots looking to look forward to for the king in the summer. >> summer. >> indeed. that's great news. just the positive news that many of us in our country were wanting because it is often very doom and gloom, isn't it? before the break, josh, one of my viewers says, he says it's quite surprising how ordinary members of the public are affected by what's happening with the royals. you've done some polling

on reactions and attitudes to the royals, matt. >> yeah, i mean, look, the royal family is still very popular out there in the country. don't believe everything you read in the newspapers as lots of people very supportive of king charles. i think if anything, their brand has got stronger over the last couple of years, particularly if we contrast, the king and the princess of wales with, let's say, other members of the royal family who might not be located in the uk. let me be diplomatic about about that and let and let let our viewers guess who i'm talking about. but look , there talking about. but look, there is a there is a generational challenge here for the royal family too, though, which is that, you know, we can see in the polling 18 to 24 a consistently the least likely to say they feel that the royal family is value for money, that they feel positive about the, they feel positive about the, the royal family. so there is a very sharp generational divide there. and i actually think, you know, moments like this that, that sort of, dare i say, bring the royal family you know, down to sort of the level of ordinary people and what we're going through and the illnesses and sickness and all the things the trials and tribulations that families go through. i suspect,

actually that will resonate a bit with younger people, you know, might be looking at grandparents going through similar things, but there is a big divide in the polling, that's for sure. well mark, he's beenin that's for sure. well mark, he's been in touch one of my viewers and says, you're a harsh man, mark. >> you say the royals need to go now that we've lost our queen. they offer no value. so as you just mentioning there, i think opinions are certainly are divided, but we certainly i certainly love the royals. judha certainly love the royals. judita where are you on it? >> see, i'm i've got the benefit of having like from my work in life, living and working abroad a lot, seeing the perspective people have of the royal family from the outside looking in. and i can see both sides to younger people, they always want something to be brutally objected of and tangible and practical. what value do they hold there? they have a ceremonial value, but not a practical one. and an unjustifiable expense. you cannot argue with that . but at cannot argue with that. but at the same time, what they don't see is the biggest, bigger picture, because as the royal family have, the monarchy in britain has a long history of being tied to monarchies around

the world. everyone from qatar to jordan to africa to the far east, they've all had a hand over the centuries in formulating what they still enjoy to this day. so the world looks to the british royal family as a certain kind of architecture of governance that's very prestigious, but also but also diplomatically important. so having this situation where king charles is hosting the japanese royals, it's a very important thing because they sustain and they maintain. should you topple something like the monarchy, what you will show to all of those other monarchies in very influential places like the middle east is that you don't hold a value for that kind of governance, and therefore you're a threat to them. so they're not so ceremonial. they have a strong political and diplomatic value. and king charles understands that. that's why he's doing what he's doing now. >> well, just just want to come back briefly, though, on the cost of the royal family. i mean, yeah, i was in westminster today in the sort of wandering around near, near, near buckingham palace. you can't

move because the tourists are coming in to look at the palace and so on. i mean, don't forget the monarchy. bring an enormous number of people into the country every year. people want to engage with this institution. i'm not convinced, really, that the royal family is a net fiscal cost. i think actually, on balance, they bring an enormous amount of soft power into britain. >> well, i can tell you now, they are very, very loved among almost all of you that are getting in touch with me tonight. but paul says, michelle, i confess i am a republican, he said. but despite that, i absolutely wish the king and of course the princess, a full recovery from cancer. i'm joined now by the royal correspondent rafe heydel—mankoo . good evening to you. we've just been talking about the different perspectives rafe on the royal family . but there's the royal family. but there's no, no, there's no question that this positive news does unite a great many people around the king. >> that's right. i mean, we have to realise that monarchy is actually the most human form of government there is, and people do become directly invested in

it in a way that you don't see in republics, for example , to go in republics, for example, to go to america, the constitution is under glass in the library of congress in washington. here we have the living embodiment of the constitution in the person of the sovereign, the king and the queen. and we see through things like the state opening of parliament and so forth, the living enactment of our constitution and the king ties us back to a thousand years of monarchy in a way you don't get in republics. we are the world's oldest continuous, unbroken, democratic country . and that's democratic country. and that's in large part because of the stability that the monarchy has brought to us. and indeed, if you look at the un's list of the top ten countries in which to live for its human development index, the majority of those are monarchies, actually. norway, sweden , denmark, japan, holland, sweden, denmark, japan, holland, belgium, canada, the uk. so monarchies aren't anachronistic. these are the world's most progressive, most advanced countries. but it's because of the monarchy that we've actually been able to create these societies because they help in part to create stable societies and stable institutions . and so

and stable institutions. and so we should be very wary about about trying to eradicate that. but thankfully, we've got 30 years of polling from ipsos mori on the monarchy. every year they ask the british public the very same question, would you prefer to be a monarchy or a republic ? to be a monarchy or a republic? and it's been their single most stable question in history , with stable question in history, with two thirds of the british public favouring the monarchy . and so favouring the monarchy. and so hopefully we can address the very real issue about the youth of today, because we do have a serious challenge with youth and also mass migration, because people are arriving here with no personal connection to the crown. as long as we can deal with those two issues, the monarchy will be here for a long, long time for dating insight. >> that's rafe heydel—mankoo. thank you for that, andy says michelle, can you give an update on the princess of wales? unfortunately andy no, i cannot, but of course we do continue to send her. well, i am delighted to hear such good news, says mary. she says , i do hope he's mary. she says, i do hope he's not pushing himself, though,

because she wants his majesty to put health before duty, many of you getting in touch saying what fantastic news, michelle. it is uplifted you tonight. i am delighted to hear that. after the break, jubilee tavern opens. let's raise a glass to the king. see you in two.

hello there. welcome back. i am michelle dewberry with you till 7:00 tonight. regular viewers will know that jubilee tavern opens round about this time on a friday night. it is open for business as i speak. friday night. it is open for business as i speak . and tonight business as i speak. and tonight we've got some good news to celebrate. i shall raise a glass in a second. but before i do, cameron walker, tell us why we do . do. >> very good news from buckingham palace this evening. the king will shortly return to pubuc the king will shortly return to public facing duties after a penod public facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. not a

full return to public duties, but a very, very positive step in his cancerjourney. he will in his cancer journey. he will be returning to public facing dufies be returning to public facing duties as a bit of a question mark as to which public duties he will go to. trooping the colour, for example, the d—day celebrations . but what we do celebrations. but what we do know is he'll be out and about next week with queen camilla at a cancer centre, and he's also going to be hosting the state visit of the emperor of japan and empress of japan as well in june. so lots to look forward to. >> well, there you go. i think this is a good moment to unites, because i can tell you now, there's one message that's been coming through thick and fast, and that is one of people feeling uplifted. happy tonight and actually feeling grateful for the positive news and the message that's coming through. and i'll share it, of course . and i'll share it, of course. long live the king and god save the king. so cheers everyone to that. cheers to my panel . i that. cheers to my panel. i shall reintroduce anyone that's just joining juditha da silva and matt goodwin alongside me, as is, of course, our royal correspondent cameron walker. so cheers to our king and his good

health. now i can tell you, lots of people have been getting in touch. leslie, you've stopped me in my tracks a little bit. actually, one of my viewers with what you said, you said, can i just spare a second to talk about camilla, you were saying that you think camilla has been amazing. you said your husband was very sadly diagnosed with stage four cancer. and you said when you found out, you cried lots. and you said, i now feel quite ashamed of myself. i just i saw that and it stopped me because i hope that you don't feel ashamed of yourself, leslie, because the word cancer can be absolutely terrifying as we've just been speaking about. it can stop you in your tracks, but fortunately as well, it is something. now that we do have fantastic treatments for, there's no right or wrong way to respond to that shock. and of course we all react differently. i can cross live now to the royal commentator jennie bond . royal commentator jennie bond. good evening to you. your reaction, jennie, to tonight's news. >> well, it's lovely to have something to smile about on

television, isn't it? and i think it's really important that the palace has been so upfront about this, so transparent and honest , because there are so honest, because there are so many conspiracy theories still going around on social media. i was woken up this morning actually, by an australian television stations wanting to talk to me because they were alarmed at reports that the king's funeral plans were being updated urgently. i mean , this updated urgently. i mean, this was nonsense. it was unverified, it was unsourced, but this is the kind of rumour mill that swirls around. and so i think it's vital that we are kept in touch as much as possible, and as much as the king permits with his state of health. and at the moment we know it's pretty damn good. it's all going in the right direction. so it's hugely encouraging. >> it certainly is. thank you for those words of celebration, too, lots of you . again, just too, lots of you. again, just celebrating, feeling happy , celebrating, feeling happy, feeling pleased today about this positive news. roy says , what positive news. roy says, what wonderful news about the king. i love my royal family and my country. we fly our flag with

pride. god save the king, he says. michael says i'm the same age as the king. and i've had bladder cancer ten years ago, and i'm still going strong, he says.i and i'm still going strong, he says. i hope and pray that the king has the same recovery that i'm having. god save the king, he says. that's fantastic news. michael on your recovery and i hope that continues, luke says, great news for the king. and of course, all of his family. hopefully this will give hope to anyone else who is suffering, ian says my heart dropped when i heard that there was a statement from the palace, but it's such good news for the country, he goes on to say that he's lost a few members of his family to cancen few members of his family to cancer. i'm sorry to hear that, ian, but he ends with saying he's pleased that the king is able to step forward. the country needs this . and he country needs this. and he echoes. god save the king. and it is such a nice sentiment that's coming through. matt. we started the program, by saying that actually it was positive

news that this country needs, and it really is. that's been echoed throughout this last houn >>i houn >> i think it's a very unifying moment, actually. and people have famously described the royal family as as being about continuity and having that sacred link with the, with the nation. and i think this is a story that will contribute to that. >> indeed, excuse me, as i just said, lots and lots. it keeps going, and i mean, cameron, there's a lot of love for our king. >> yeah, there certainly is. and i don't know if we can bring that picture back up that we've got this evening of the king and queen camilla, because camilla has really held the monarchy strong, really, since this cancer diagnosis. so it's great to see a picture like that. >> it is fantastic news, if you are watching this king charles, all of us @gbnews wish you all the very best. but for now, that's all i've got time for. thank you to everyone to you at home. have a fantastic weekend and see you monday.

>> a brighter outlook with boxt solar sponsors of weather on . gb news. >> hello again. good evening. welcome to your latest gb news weather update. it's going to be another cold night tonight and rain will spread into the south and east through this weekend, with the best of the dry weather around the north and west once again. much as it has been throughout this week. but to the south we've got low pressure arriving and some weather fronts through this evening, so some heavy rain for many southern counties of england through this evening, as well as southern areas of wales by tomorrow morning, there's going to be a lot of cloud around. it will be a milder night across the south, however, in the north, with cloud clearing and turning much dnen cloud clearing and turning much drier, it's going to be another cold start on saturday morning. could be down as low as —4 or 5, so expect frost really for parts of scotland and northern ireland, but there will be, as today, lots of sunshine around, particularly across the north and west. the best of the sunshine will be through the

morning. cloud will bubble up into the afternoon, but across central areas, parts of wales and into the midlands are going to be quite a cloudy and cold feeling day. and into the southeast we'll start to see some showery outbreaks of rain, but in any sunshine it will start to feel that much mild order with highs of 14 or 15 degrees now on sunday. as i said, it is turning much wetter. this swathe of rain moves up to the north and east of the uk, bringing outbreaks of rain across many eastern areas but particularly across the southeast throughout the morning, that area of rain will push away to the east for sunday evening and into monday. then we pick up a southerly wind, which is going to pick up our temperatures closer to 19 degrees for tuesday. >> looks like things are heating up. boxt boilers sponsors of weather on

gb news. >> welcome to the andersons. real world. >> tonight on the show, i've got andrew jameson. also got matthew laza. he's back on the show for about the 10th time. we've got charlie mullins, the pimlico plumber. he's on the show happiness activator. steph peltier and mathematics legend bobby seagull. but first, let's go to the . news. go to the. news. >> hello. here are the headlines from the gb newsroom. i'm tamsin roberts the king is returning to pubuc roberts the king is returning to public duties following the positive effect of his cancer treatment. buckingham palace says king charles is greatly encouraged to be resuming some pubuc encouraged to be resuming some public facing duties and very

grateful to his medical team. he's been