KING Charles will rest at his country bolthole over the weekend amid calls to slow down following his hospital drama.
The monarch, 76, was yesterday photographed looking tired but waving at crowds as he left London for his Highgrove retreat in Gloucestershire.
He was driven 100 miles from Clarence House a day after visiting hospital for temporary side effects during his cancer treatment.
It meant he missed engagements in Birmingham yesterday and had to cancel meetings with ambassadors at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Palace sources expect next week to be “business as usual” for the King but may “prune a little here and there” from his workload.
They say next month’s State Visit to Italy will go ahead as planned.
Meanwhile The Sun understands eyebrows have been raised that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has not been asked to help on major jobs — despite sources saying she’s “chomping at the bit” to do more.
No public engagements have been lined up for the King next week, but Queen Camilla will host a domestic abuse reception at Clarence House on Tuesday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have next week free of public engagements as it is school holiday for their three children.
Royal author and expert Phil Dampier said: “King Charles has always worked hard and is renowned for burning midnight oil and even falling asleep at his desk working so many hours.
“But those days must be a thing of the past and it’s vital he looks after his health and cuts down his workload.
“He needs to pace himself — which the Queen has said he is hopeless at doing — and she is probably the only person he will listen to.
“It’s a golden opportunity for other members of the Royal Family.
“William has been very prominent recently and Kate is obviously nursing herself back to health from her own cancer treatment.
“Sophie has done superbly on recent jobs here and abroad and has become a star performer and should be given the opportunity to do more.
“There is no Harry and Meghan, and no Prince Andrew.
“Princess Anne is in her 70s and was in hospital herself last year.
“There should be an opportunity for Sophie to be allowed to do more.”
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “We know Charles is a worrier and has the weight of the world on his shoulders. I know he cares about things.
“He is in a position of such responsibility and is always saying ‘The trouble with me is I care too much’. He constantly works and wants to work till he drops.
“Having cancer treatment every week for more than a year is quite a slog for anyone let alone having the responsibility of being the King.
“He has all of these engagements but when he gets home he has to deal with all the government boxes and correspondence.
“He works late into the night. His energy levels are probably a bit low. I’d like to see Sophie given more big jobs because everybody loves her and she could step up.”
The King had cancer treatment on Thursday morning and was at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon for scheduled meetings with ambassadors.
But after lunch he was taken by car to The London Clinic and spent a short time there after suffering side-effects from the cancer treatment.
Queen Camilla did not join him at the clinic and he was back at Clarence House by late afternoon.
The Palace later insisted the unscheduled visit was a “minor bump in the road” and his treatment is going well.
Before the drama the King had attended 18 engagements in ten days including a three-day trip to Northern Ireland.
On Wednesday until 8pm the King was on his feet for 75 minutes mingling with 400 guests at a Buckingham Palace reception to praise local journalism.
Earlier he presented Royal Medals to Sir Ravinder Maini and Prof Sir Marc Feldmann at the Palace.
And in the morning he attended an exhibition as patron of the Royal Countryside Fund at Somerset House in central London.
That engagement was supposed to run for 45 minutes but lasted almost 90 minutes.
On Tuesday evening, Charles joined Camilla at a Clarence House reception where guests included Sigourney Weaver and Richard E Grant.
He also had audiences with PM Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves the evening before Wednesday’s Spring Statement.
Hours before, he and Princess Anne rewarded winners of the Annual Butler Trust Awards at St James’s Palace.
Before that, he held an investiture at Windsor Castle.
On Monday, the King received the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the UK and France at Windsor Castle.
On last week’s trip to Northern Ireland he carried out nine engagements — visiting a farm, community centre, a cancer research centre and meeting First Minister Michelle O’Neill.
He told circus performers in Belfast he was an advocate of “keeping going on”.
And he told cancer patients at Ulster University: “What’s that Winston Churchill saying? Keep b*****ing on.”
Last night the Palace said the King’s weekend break at Highgrove had been arranged before he cancelled his engagements.
