The King has written to Simon Boas to express his admiration for his inspirational approach to death.

The 46-year-old was with wife Aurielle and his parents, Sarah and Tony, when he received a visit from Jersey's Lieutenant Governor at lunchtime on Tuesday (11 July).

His Excellency Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd visited the CEO of Jersey Overseas Aid at Jersey Hospice, where he is now being cared for, to deliver a letter from His Majesty King Charles III.

The King wrote about how moved he is by the courageous approach Simon takes to his terminal illness and how he admires this outlook on life and death.

His Majesty also acknowledged the 46-year-old's extensive work with charities both in Jersey and overseas, in the personal letter.

The Bailiff, Sir Tim Le Cocq, gifted Simon the Bailiff's Silver Seal earlier this year, a prestigious award, along with the Certificate of Achievement from the Would Jersey Cattle Bureau.

Simon Boas has also become a renowned writer, not only in the island but worldwide, for reflecting on his feelings about life and death.

The Jersey Overseas Aid CEO received his cancer diagnosis in September 2023. However, it was, unfortunately, too late and it had spread to the rest of his body.

Millions of people have since read his letters to the Jersey Evening Post, as well as features in The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, on Radio 4's Today Programme and in The Times.

Despite his terminal diagnosis, Simon has also written a book with cancer and death at the centre of it.

However, even with the daunting topic of the book, it is only partly about dying.

'A Beginner's Guide to Dying' focuses on facing the end of his life how he lived his life, with optimism.

In the 'hymn to the joy and preciousness of life', to be published in September 2024, Simon writes about everything that has given him a sense of 'peace and contentment, and why dying at 46 really is not so bad'.