Well-wishers have said their thoughts are with the King after he was diagnosed with cancer and they hope the royal family will “pull together” and “take some of the burden off him”.

Tourists and locals outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning spoke of their sadness after hearing the news.

Lisa Nash, 61, said she wished Charles well and added that the royal family does “a lot for this country”.

She said: “My thoughts are with him and to go through something like cancer but in the public eye is pretty something, so I’m pleased that he’s given people snippets of information but I’m quite glad that he’s going to keep the rest of it private.

You think of the family like you would do your own family, yes it's a shame for us but it is for them more than us really

“I think for his own peace of mind, he needs to be doing that, it’s enough of a struggle as it is but I wish him well and I’m sure he’ll pull through and things will be fine.”

Ms Nash added: “I love the royal family. I think they do a lot for this country and they will continue to do so, they’ll just pull together and hopefully take some of the burden off of him and he can concentrate on getting better.”

Martin Harris, 43, from Northampton, said: “Obviously it’s a shame for the family more than anything. You think of the family like you would do your own family, yes it’s a shame for us but it is for them more than us really.”

He added: “Also it’s good that they’ve found it early.”

Justin Haden, 52, from Canada, said the news was “sad” and he hoped the King would “make a recovery”.