A residents' association with close ties to the monarch have wished him well on his recovery from cancer.

The Poundbury Residents' Association, an organisation that looks after and represents the voices of those in the area, were ‘shocked and saddened’ at the news, announced by Buckingham Palace, that King Charles III had developed a form of cancer.

The diagnosis came after the 75-year-old monarch was recently admitted to hospital because of an enlarged prostate, although the palace says he does not have prostate cancer.

Simon Standish, co-chair of the Poundbury Residents' Association said: “We’re as shocked and saddened by the news as anyone, especially given the close association he has with the area. We’re all thinking of him and wishing him the very best at this very difficult time.

“So many people suffer from cancer but have done well in recovery and we really hope that he has a positive outcome after this news.”

Before he became monarch, the former Prince of Wales played a major part in creating the community of Poundbury and has regularly visited his ‘model village.’

A keen lover of architecture, Charles had a dream of a walkable model village blending a range of traditional building styles.

The land is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, which was first established in 1337 by Edward the III to provide his son, Prince Edward, with an area of independence for their heir. It was later ruled that each future Duke of Cornwall would be the eldest surviving son of the monarch.

In 1987, the then local planning authority, West Dorset District Council, selected land owned by the Duchy to develop an expansion of Dorchester and given Charles' interest in architecture - he hired an architect to work on its 400-acre development.

Started in 1993, the development is set to be completed in 2025.