Peter Phillips reveals King Charles is ‘frustrated’ that his recovery from cancer is ‘taking longer than he would want it to’ – and he is ‘very keen to get back to normality’

King Charles’ cousin has revealed he is in ‘good spirits’ but his recovery is taking ‘a little longer’ than expected.

Peter Phillips, 46, said the King is “hugely frustrated” that he is unable to go out and do everything he wants to do.

But Phillips – the only son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips – added that his uncle is “pragmatic” and knows he needs to “focus on himself” for a while to get better.

He visited Australia as patron of charity ISPS Handa Sky News AU that King Charles is ‘forcing’ his staff to allow him to resume more royal duties, contrary to the advice of his medical team.

He told the news station: ‘He’s cheerful, but at the end of the day he’s extremely frustrated.

‘He is frustrated that he cannot move on and do everything he wants.

‘But he is very pragmatic, he understands that there is a period when he really has to concentrate on himself. But at the same time, he always encourages his staff and everyone – his doctors and nurses – to say, ‘can I do this, can I do that?’

‘I think the overriding message is that he is clearly very keen to get back to some form of normality and is probably frustrated that his recovery is taking a little longer than he would like.’

He added that the Princess of Wales is “remarkable” amid news of her health battle, and said she and William have “got it right” in balancing their public and family lives.

Queen Camilla previously told well-wishers that King Charles was “doing very well” as the cancer-fighting monarch met foreign representatives at Buckingham Palace.

She told the audience in Northern Ireland that the king, who is receiving treatment for cancer, was “disappointed” he could not join her there.

Instead, he was seen being evicted from Clarence House in central London before holding a private audience with diplomats at Buckingham Palace. Later he was expelled from the palace.

Yesterday it emerged that King Charles was ‘very emotional’ after having a private lunch with the Princess of Wales, the day before she bravely revealed her cancer diagnosis to the world.

The 75-year-old monarch traveled from London to Windsor Castle on Thursday for a personal conversation with his ‘beloved’ daughter-in-law.

It is believed Princess Kate, 42, wanted to confide in Charles about how he was coping with his own battle with the disease, The Sun reported.

The Princess of Wales also discussed her emotional video in which she sat on a park bench and told the nation of her ‘huge shock’ at discovering she had cancer.

The intimate lunch between the pair strengthens the strong bond Kate and Charles share with the King, lovingly describing the Princess as his ‘beloved daughter-in-law’.

Months earlier, Charles had put on his dressing gown and ‘toddled’ over to comfort Princess Kate as they both recovered from surgery at the London Clinic.

A source said Charles and Kate would have had a lot to discuss at the Windsor Castle lunch with the king just weeks before he started his course of treatment.

“The king left his lunch feeling very emotional,” they said.

‘They are very close and he considers Catherine his daughter.

“There is no doubt that they have much to share and can use each other as support during their own deeply personal battle with cancer.”

Meanwhile, insiders told the Sunday Times that King Charles, who was being treated for an enlarged prostate, ‘wobbled’ from his hospital bed to see Kate down the corridor.

The princess had undergone major abdominal surgery at the time – not believed to be due to a malignant condition – but post-operative tests found signs of cancer.

The idea of ​​the cheerful king comforting his daughter-in-law – as they both faced major health challenges – will warm the hearts of millions of people across the country.

Kate and Charles have found comfort in each other as the pair simultaneously battle cancer, a well-placed source told The Telegraph.

“They can both empathize with what the other is going through, which helps during a difficult time like this,” they said.