The King has joked about being "allowed out of my cage" on a visit to an army barracks in Surrey.

As he was being led around, he told the commanding officer: "I do apologise for taking you by surprise, when this opportunity appeared and I had been allowed out of my cage, I wanted to come to have a look." The King is thought to have been continuing his cancer treatment as an outpatient this week. The monarch, who is colonel-in-chief of the Royal Engineers, made the remarks on a trip to 3 Royal School of Military Engineering - at Gibraltar Barracks in Minley.

He appeared in good spirits, telling the wife of one corporal "nothing a strong drink won't help" when she told him the couple had three children. The King was given flowers and Royal Engineer mugs from the children of some of the soldiers - and received a portrait of himself from six-year-old Louie Bacon.

The 75-year-old has only recently returned to public duties following the public announcement of his cancer treatment, but he wasn't the only royal out in the sun on Thursday. The Queen was pictured with a donkey and Shetland pony at an event celebrating 90 years of equine charity Brooke at Buckingham Palace.

She snapped a carrot in half, asking Alfie the donkey: "Are you greedy?" Queen Camilla also offered a snack to LaLa the pony and quipped both were "about my size.