Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was among the royal family members to attend the Easter matins service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The 64-year-old arrived with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, with the pair dropped off in a car outside the church.

It came after she attended a thanksgiving memorial service for King Constantine II of Greece in February.

Fergie, like the Princess of Wales and King Charles, is facing her own health battle after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer earlier this year.

Following the King’s first public appearance many media outlets ran a lengthy comment from a palace source, including The Sun, The Mirror and The Telegraph.

Here is the statement in full: “Today was a significant step. As can be seen, The King has responded to treatment very encouragingly over the past weeks and his doctors were thus able to adjust their guidance slightly on what His Majesty is now able to undertake, including attendance at the Easter Service and greeting well-wishers who had kindly turned out to show their support.

“To be clear, His Majesty’s treatment continues and caution is of course the watchword, but as diary plans are evolved towards summer, we hope to see more of these carefully-calibrated steps towards the resumption of some public facing duties for The King, with adjustments made where necessary.

“Nothing will be confirmed until nearer the time, plans remain in flux and are subject to medical guidance, but there is great hope and optimism from both doctors and the patient.

“While His Majesty has of course been undertaking all his official duties in private, and has been photographed at a number of smaller Palace engagements, hopefully today has offered wider public reassurance that His Majesty is doing well and that the road ahead is looking very positive.”

It was interesting to hear parts of conversation between King Charles and members of the public he went to greet after the Easter martins service at Windsor Castle earlier today.

His walkabout to greet the well-wishers was a surprise and perhaps a reflection of his improving health after he started treatment for cancer.

One royal fan shook his hand and said “get well soon Your Majesty”.

The King replied: “I’m doing my best.”

Another said to him: “Keep going strong, never give in.”

In all, he shook the hands of around 60 members of the public who had patiently waited to see the monarch following the service.

Fewer members of the royal family appeared this year for the Easter matins service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Notable absentees included the Princess of Wales, along with her husband and children, following her recent cancer diagnosis and beginning of preventative chemotherapy.

Those in attendance included Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and James, Earl of Wessex.

Prince Andrew arrived with Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Also present was Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who herself was received a diagnosis for breast cancer earlier this year.

The Archbishop of Canterbury singled out King Charles and the Princess of Wales for praise during an Easter sermon.

Justin Welby encouraged the congregation to “pray” for Charles and Kate during his sermon at Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday.

Beginning his sermon, he said: “In each of our lives, there are moments which change us forever – sometimes it is individual.

“We have watched and sympathised with, and felt alongside, the dignity of the King and the Princess of Wales as they have talked of their cancer and in doing so, by their lack of selfishness, by their grace and their faith, boosted so many others.”

King Charles is said to be responding well to his cancer treatment, with his road to recovery looking “very positive”, as he appeared “looking well” on Easter Sunday.

The 75-year-old monarch was making his first major public appearance having been diagnosed with an unspecific form of cancer in January.

And his response to treatment led to doctors reportedly giving him the green light to greet members of the public following the Easter matins service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Kate Middleton was absent from today’s Easter Sunday service as King Charles took the focus with a surprise walkabout to greet members of the public.

Asked if the events will help take the focus off Kate, the managing editor of Majesty magazine, Joe Little, said: “You would certainly hope so.”

He said he thought the focus had already moved away from her “to a certain extent” this week.

“I think people accept and understand that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family are on Easter holiday now and that they need their privacy… (to) just get on with being a family,” the royal expert continued.

“I think whatever the King has done today wouldn’t have been with that specifically in mind, but it certainly helps.”

The King’s public appearance on Easter Sunday will be a “form of reassurance” to people in the wake of the royal family’s recent health announcements, an expert on the monarchy has said.

Charles, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, smiled and waved at crowds as he arrived for the annual Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday morning.

The managing editor of Majesty magazine, Joe Little, said the “hugely encouraging” event would help draw the focus away from the Princess of Wales, who disclosed just over a week ago that she had started a course of preventative chemotherapy.

Kate, the Prince of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were absent from the Easter service as the family are spending the holiday together as they adjust to her diagnosis.

Mr Little told the PA news agency: “There’s been lots of reports that (the royal family) has been going through a crisis, a period of instability, which I always thought was overdoing it, but I think it will be a form of reassurance to people today that all is well.

“Clearly, there is still some progress to be made but the fact that what happened today actually happened at all is hugely encouraging.”

King Charles went to speak to waiting members of the public as he left the Easter Sunday service in Windsor today. It comes after doctors reportedly changed their guidance after the 75-year-old had responded encouragingly to cancer treatment.

Giovanna Fletcher has shared a down-to-earth encounter she had with “wonderful human” Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey.

Podcast host Fletcher, who won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!A winner in 2020, recalled the interaction with the Princess of Wales ahead of her emotional video announcing she has cancer.

Middleton has missed this year’s Easter Sunday service, one week after explaining she was having chemotherapy to treat the disease following abdominal surgery in January.