King Charles is 'fighting cancer battle very hard', Prince William tells Donald Trump

By Victoria Ward

Donald Trump has suggested the King is "fighting very hard" in his cancer battle after discussing the "sad" situation with the Prince of Wales.

The US president-elect held a 40-minute meeting with the Prince in Paris on Saturday evening, following a service that marked the reopening of Notre Dame five years after a devastating fire.

Mr Trump said the pair had enjoyed a "great talk", gushing that the Prince was "very handsome" and better looking in person.

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He revealed they had touched upon the cancer diagnoses of both the King and the Princess of Wales.

"I asked him about his wife and he said she's doing well," Mr Trump told the New York Post.

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"And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad."

Mr Trump said of the Prince: "He's a good-looking guy. He looked really, very handsome.

"Some people look better in person? He looked great. He looked really nice, and I told him that."

He added: "We had a great talk for half an hour, a little more than half an hour. We had a great, great talk."

The cathedral ceremony, attended by 40 world leaders including Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, marked Mr Trump's return to the international stage following his election win in November.

The Prince was scrambled to attend at short notice as the Government sought to capitalise on the opportunity to underscore Britain's special relationship with the US.

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The meeting, held at the UK ambassador's residence, was "warm" and "friendly", Kensington Palace said afterwards.

The pair discussed "a range of global issues" but focused on the "special relationship".

Mr Trump also shared some "warm and fond" memories about Elizabeth II, for which the Prince was grateful.

On arrival at the residence, Mr Trump wasted no time in giving the Prince his seal of approval, stating that he was a "good man" and was doing a "fantastic job".

The pair last met in 2019 when Mr Trump made a state visit to the UK during his first term in office, joining Queen Elizabeth II, the then Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the traditional white-tie state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Mr Trump has long made clear his admiration for the Royal family, which may prove critical in strengthening ties between the two governments as he embarks on his second four-year term.

Last month, video footage was released that showed him leafing through a glossy book of photographs on his private jet.

Coming to a picture of him and his wife, Melania, standing alongside the late Queen, he says: "This is with Queen Elizabeth, who was fantastic, by the way.

"These images – I mean, who has images like this? And these were relationships, too."

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Pointing to another picture of him and Melania alongside the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, he says: "Look, he's now the King – here's Charles with the guard. It's a piece of history at the highest level. Look, it's Charles, so beautiful.

He adds: "Hopefully he's going to be well because he's a really good person. Camilla is fantastic. You get to know them so well."

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2024

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