King Charles thanks medics for his and Kate's cancer care as royal family celebrates Christmas

King Charles III and close members of the royal family attended Christmas Day services Wednesday at a church on Sandringham, the estate on the windswept North Sea coast that has served as a retreat for the royals for generations. His brother Prince Andrew, however, was notably absent.

The king, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, waved to a large crowd of onlookers as he walked alongside his wife, Queen Camilla. They were joined by Prince William, Prince of Wales, and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, the king's daughter-in-law, who has been slowly returned to public duties after her own cancer diagnosis and a course of chemotherapy.

In a reflection of the medical treatments they have received, Charles used his annual Christmas message to highlight health workers.