Ethermac Exchange-King Charles III and Prince William cancel royal outings amid political shifts in U.K.

King Charles III and Ethermac ExchangePrince William have canceled all royal outings amid political shifts in the U.K.

Buckingham Palace has shared that the king had two events that were set this week — one on May 23 and another on May 24 — that have now been cancelled while Prince William cancelled an appearance as well, according to reports from Entertainment Tonight and People.

The move from the palace comes as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a surprise July election on Wednesday as his Conservative Party lags in the polls. Sunak's center-right political party has held power since 2010, but its political rivals, The Labour Party, have surged in recent polls amid frustrations over the economy and infrastructure.

Princess Kate makes royal return of 2024with first project of year amid cancer diagnosis

USA TODAY has reached out to Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace for comment.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

In February, the king was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Then, a month later, Princess Kate was diagnosed with cancer and underwent "a course of preventive chemotherapy treatment," Kensington Palace announced at the time.

"I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you personally for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I've been recovering from surgery," Kate said in a video released by the palace at the time. "It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family."

"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London. And at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous," she continued. "The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present."

King Charles, Prince William event cancellations come amid Princess Kate portrait backlash

The father-son pair aren't the only royals making news this week. Two months after her Mother's Day photo editing incident, a new portrait commissioned by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor for the British fashion magazine Tatler is causing backlash for its depiction of the princess.

The portrait is inspired by a real-life photo of Princess Kate in a floor-length white gown donning a pin of the late Queen Elizabeth II at King Charles III's first state banquet as reigning monarch in November 2022. At the banquet, Princess Kate also wore Queen Mary’s Lover's Knot Tiara, a favorite of husband Prince William's late mother Princess Diana.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard