In anticipation of a procedure this week, the King skipped church on Sunday.
When he stays at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, Charles is frequently spotted strolling to the church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church, but this time he was unable to make it.
The King and Queen retuned to Sandringham Estate on Friday from Scotland ahead of his surgery for an enlarged prostate.
The couple travelled on an RAF jet from Aberdeen Airport to RAF Marham and were driven the rest of the journey to Sandringham.
Well-wishers waited outside the church on Sunday hoping to catch sight of the King, but they found the gates to the paddock outside the church were locked.
Usually, onlookers are allowed to watch the King walk to church from the roped-off path on the Sandringham Estate.
Onlookers pointed out that the church paddock gates being locked was “highly unusual.”
On New Year’s Eve in December 2023, King Charles was seen waving to onlookers at the church service at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Titled “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England,” the Sovereign enjoys a tight relationship with the church.
Following her visit to the Aberdeen Art Gallery last week, the Queen declared that the King was “fine” and “looking forward to getting back to work.”