Cancer centre King helped establish now at forefront of research

Dr Corrado D'Arrigo showed King Charles around the Poundbury Cancer Institute in 2015

Directors of a cancer research centre that King Charles III was instrumental in establishing said he would benefit from treatment advances made in recent years.

Poundbury Cancer Institute (PCI) works to improve outcomes for patients.

It is based in the Dorset "model" village the King has personally backed for more than 30 years.

Buckingham Palace said he began "regular treatments" on Monday, following his cancer diagnosis.

According to the NHS, one in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime.

Dr Corrado D'Arrigo, one of the Poundbury centre's directors, said the King had been "very instrumental in us setting up", adding that with his support the institute, which he opened in 2015, had "achieved quite a lot in the last 10 years".

"There are new and effective treatments for a lot of the cancers we are facing so the outcome for every patient, him included, is hopefully very good," she added.

Dr Sarah Wedden said the King's diagnosis was "not as scary as it used to be"

Dr Sarah Wedden runs CADQAS, a not-for-profit company that is part of the institute, which helps support the adoption of new cancer diagnosis and tests.

She said: "Obviously he hoped he wouldn't be at the receiving end of some of the stuff we're doing."

But she added the King's diagnosis was "not as scary as it used to be because of the improvements in treatment".

The King has been involved in the Poundbury development for more than thirty years

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Residents in Poundbury have been among those sending well wishes to the monarch.

One told BBC Radio Solent they were "rather concerned" by the news, adding: "Everything at the moment is such a mess [and] the monarchy is the one consistent thing we have in our lives."

Another praised the "openness" of the Buckingham Palace announcement, saying it could be "a very positive thing for other individuals that are suffering from some form of cancer, as men tend not to go forward to the GP until it's too late."

Town councillors in nearby Dorchester voted to send best wishes, on behalf of the town, to the monarch after his diagnosis.

The King and Queen last visited Poundbury in June 2023

Poundbury was King Charles' brain-child when he was Prince of Wales.

The village, on the edge of Dorchester, was built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and the then Prince played a large role in its development.

The King last visited Poundbury in June 2023 to mark the completion of Queen Mother Square.