King Charles’ nephew, Peter Phillips, says the monarch is “very keen to get back to normality” though recognises he needs to “focus on himself” in order to recover

King Charles is “hugely frustrated” his recovery following surgery is taking a “little longer” than expected, his nephew has admitted today.

Peter Phillips, the only son of Anne, Princess Royal and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, said the monarch wants to return to official engagements but has been advised by his medical team to continue to rest.

But Mr Phillips, 46, added his uncle is “pragmatic” and knows he needs to “focus on himself” for a while to get better. Speaking to media in Australia today during a visit as a patron of charity ISPS Handa, Mr Phillips said Charles, 75, has been “pushing” his staff to let him resume more royal duties.

“He is in good spirits but ultimately he is hugely frustrated. He’s frustrated he can’t get on and do everything he wants to be able to do,” Mr Phillips, who is a father of two, said.

“But he is very pragmatic, he understands there’s a period of time he really needs to focus on himself. But at the same time he is always pushing his staff and everybody – his doctors and nurses – to say ‘can I do this, can I do that’.”

King Charles is currently undergoing treatment for cancer .
Queen Camilla has previously told well-wishers King Charles “is doing very well”, as the cancer-battling monarch met foreign representatives at Buckingham Palace.

Yet, speaking to Sky News AU, the monarch’s nephew added: “I think the overriding message is he is obviously very keen to get back to a form of normality and he’s probably frustrated that his recovery is taking a little longer than he would want it to.” He told the channel he believes Princess of Wales has been “remarkable” in bravely announcing her own health battle.

And it emerged yesterday King Charles was left “feeling very emotional” after having a private lunch with the Princess of Wales the day before she courageously revealed her cancer diagnosis to the world. The 75-year-old monarch travelled from London to Windsor Castle on Thursday for a heart-to-heart with his “beloved” daughter-in-law. The Mirror has approached Buckingham Palace in relation to Mr Phillips’ interview.