Prince William is moved by the outpouring of support for King Charles III.

Following news that the monarch was diagnosed with cancer, the Prince of Wales showed his appreciation for the well wishes his family recently received as his father and his wife Kate Middleton deal with their respective health struggles.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you also for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” William shared during the London’s Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner on Dec. 7. “It means a great deal to us all.”

He jokingly added, “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!”

The charity function was one of William’s first public engagement since taking a brief break from royal duties to care for his and Kate’s kids—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8 and Prince Louis, 5—amid the Princess of Wales’ recovery.