King visits Royal Engineers in first military appearance since cancer diagnosis

King Charles III has been speaking to personnel from 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment (3RSME) in his first military appearance since returning to official duties after receiving treatment for cancer.

Charles, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Engineers, spoke to soldiers from 8 Engineer Brigade, received the royal salute and met the children of serving personnel during his visit to Gibraltar Barracks in Minley in Hampshire.

As he entered the officers' mess, the King told Lieutenant Colonel Robert Grant, the commanding officer of 3RSME: "I do apologise for taking you by surprise, when this opportunity appeared and I had been allowed out of my cage, I wanted to come to have a look."

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Lt Col Grant said: "We only had six days to pull this together but the only answer from us was 'yes'.

"There was a palpable sense of excitement as you saw the units spark into life for the visit."

As he was guided around the barracks, the King was greeted by Lord Lieutenant Nigel Atkinson and Major General Eldon Millar before he received a salute from a Quarter Guard made up of officers from the school.

The visit to Minley marked King Charles's second official public appearance since returning to his duties, and his first appearance with the Armed Forces.

The King signed the visitor's book at Gibraltar Barracks, which will stand as an important record in marking the occasion.

Officers from 8 Engineer Brigade Headquarters were given the chance to speak to the King, and they explained their roles in providing engineering support to military operations.

While meeting families at the barracks, he was surprised with a drawing of himself by six-year-old Louie Bacon, the son of Warrant Officer 2 Mark Bacon.

Louie's mother Kim Lewis said: "It was really exciting, a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

After meeting the King, Corporal Newman said: "He is a really lovely person, he liked to engage with you, it wasn't a fleeting chat, it was an in-depth conversation."

After the Corporal told him his role was as an electrician, the King told his wife: "Terribly helpful to have an electrician around."

King Charles is reportedly responding well to treatment following his cancer diagnosis.