King feeling very good and pleased to return to public duties, Mordaunt says

The King is feeling “very good” and “would have been so pleased” to return to public-facing events following his cancer diagnosis, Penny Mordaunt has said.

The Commons leader spoke about her meetings with him in her role as Lord President of the Privy Council to mark the first anniversary of the King and Queen’s coronation on Monday.

She told GB News: “I think people won’t be surprised to know that he’s completely charming and always calm.

“And he’s also got a really good sense of humour as well. But he’s always asking about how things are going, particularly issues that we’re dealing with in Parliament or about particular groups who he knows that are having a rough time.

“He’s always asking after those people, so he cares a great deal and he’s a delight to work with.”

The Privy Council is a body of senior advisers to the monarch.

Asked how Charles is doing, Ms Mordaunt told the broadcaster: “He’s very good. And I know that he would have been so pleased to get back to public duties. He would have missed it tremendously.

“I think everyone is really pleased to see him back and I know that he wants to do more, so it’s been a good week.”

Ms Mordaunt was responsible for bearing the Sword of State and presenting the Jewelled Sword of Offering to Charles at his coronation – the first time the duty had been carried out by a woman.

The Conservative MP sparked interest on social media wearing a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery.

“I was determined and very excited, but also very nervous,” she said.

“The sword was very heavy.

“The question I’d always asked myself when I was doing drill practice with my reserve unit in the pouring rain every Tuesday night, was, why am I doing this now? I know why it was so I could hold that sword at the Coronation.

“Actually, the adrenaline of the day just carries you, carries you through it.”

Ms Mordaunt has been tipped as a future Tory leadership contender.

But she denied she would be installed in No 10 “like a new boiler” amid questions over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s political future in anticipation of challenging local elections for the Tories last week.