'I'm still alive': King shocks fans with dark humour

As King Charles looks to continue treatment for his cancer into the new year, he has made a wry joke out of the situation.

The 76-year-old attended his last engagement of the year at a community event at Waltham Forest Town Hall in Walthamstow when he was asked a casual question about his health.

Harvinder Rattan, Sikh faith representative, greeted the King by saying, "Your Majesty, good morning, how are you?"

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The monarch shocked him and many others with his dark humour, quipping casually in response, "I'm still alive".

The King and Queen spent the rest of the engagement speaking to other members of the community before believing to head off to Sandringham to begin their Christmas break with the rest of the Royal family.

Charles' joke comes as palace sources confirm that his cancer treatment will be continuing into the new year.

Aides told Sky News that they are optimistic about the King's health treatments, telling the publication, "His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year."

The sovereign is expected to continue regular engagements in the new year, having had a full social calendar in recent weeks, with trips both around the UK and abroad pencilled in for 2025.

Charles' daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales recently completed her own cancer treatments after being hospitalised around the same time he was at the beginning of the year.

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She announced the end of her preventative chemotherapy in a video capturing her family - including her husband Prince William and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis - on a family getaway through the woods.

The Wales family used a snap from the end of the video for their annual Christmas card.

It shows Prince Louis, Prince William, Kate, Princess Charlotte and Prince George all sitting arm-in-arm together in Norfolk in the summer months which was seen in that clip, originally released in September.

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