The King has said it is a “blessing” that his cancer treatment will be winding down in the New Year.

Speaking to Channel 4 for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign, he said he was glad to “share the good news” that he has been responding well to treatment.

The Supreme Governor of the Church of England called it a “personal blessing”, and said his progress is “a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care”.

He encouraged others to get tested, saying: “I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams."

Charles also spoke of being "profoundly moved” by the “community of care” he had experienced from specialists, nurses, researchers and volunteers.

Buckingham Palace said the King's recovery has reached a very positive stage, and that doctors will now move his treatment "into a precautionary phase".

It comes a week after at a Westminster Abbey carol service, where the King shared a message of “hope” inspired by the hymn ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’.