King Charles III has cancer and will leave his public duties

London
cnn
—

From great britain King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and will step down from public duties while he receives treatment, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.

The update came after Charles, 75, attended a London hospital for a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate last month.

Tests were performed that revealed a “form of cancer,” the palace said in a statement Monday. A royal source told CNN that the form of cancer detected was not prostate cancer, but did not specify further.

“Her Majesty has today begun a program of regular treatments, during which time doctors have advised her to postpone her public duties,” the palace said.

“During this period, His Majesty will continue to conduct State business
and official procedures as usual,” he added.

The King spent three nights at the London Clinic, a private hospital near Regent’s Park, for his recent procedure and was previously said to be “fine” after the season.

He was seen for the first time since his treatment on Sunday, looking in good spirits as he greeted the public on his way to a Sunday morning church service in Sandringham, Norfolk. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.

The royal source added that the king returned from Sandringham on Monday morning to begin outpatient treatment in London.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible by his recent hospital procedure,” the Buckingham Palace statement said. “He remains entirely positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duties as soon as possible.”

“Her Majesty has decided to share her diagnosis to avoid speculation and in the hope that it can help public understanding of all those around the world affected by cancer,” the palace concluded.

It is still unknown how the cancer was discovered while the King was being treated for an enlarged prostate. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a CNN medical analyst, said that when patients are admitted to the hospital, they often undergo tests, such as chest X-rays, that could reveal another health problem.

“It appears that during the routine evaluation portion for his prostate surgery, they discovered something else was wrong,” Reiner said.

Charles became monarch after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.

Prince William, next in line to the throne, will return to public duties later this week after taking time off to assist his wife in her own recovery from abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace announced in a news release on Monday.

William maintains regular contact with his father, according to a source close to the Prince of Wales.

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Prince Harry has spoken to his father about the diagnosis and will travel to the United Kingdom to see the king in the coming days, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office said.

Harry and Charles have been involved in a long and public fight in the years since the prince and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties, although the duke made a short visit to the UK for Charles’s coronation last year.

British political leaders reacted quickly to the news. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, wrote on social media that he “wished Her Majesty a speedy and full recovery.”

“I have no doubt he will be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will wish him well,” Sunak said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said he is “concerned” about King Charles.

“I’m worried about him. I just found out about his diagnosis,” Biden said in Las Vegas when asked about the development. Biden said he hoped to speak with the King soon, “God willing.”

Leaders of Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, also offered their support to the King.

“Wishing His Majesty King Charles III a speedy recovery. “Our thoughts are with the British people,” Macron wrote in a post on X.

Monday’s announcement from Buckingham Palace – made early in the afternoon in London – marked an important and untimely milestone in Charles’s reign as Britain’s monarch.

It exacerbated an already challenging period for the royal family, whose new year has been marked by health-related issues that had sidelined three of its most senior members.

Charles’ prostate operation required a three-day hospital visit, during which tests were performed that revealed the cancer. Queen Camilla, who had visited her husband daily, was at her side when he left last Monday.

Camilla previously said her husband was “doing well” and “looking forward to getting back to work” while about recent commitments.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, had been simultaneously dealing with abdominal problems and left the same hospital hours earlier after her operation.

She had been admitted to the hospital on January 16 for planned abdominal surgery. A day later, Kensington Palace announced that the operation was a success and that she would remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days. It’s unclear what the surgery was for, but a royal source told CNN that the 42-year-old’s condition was not cancerous.

Kate and her husband, Prince William, have since been removed from the public eye while they focused on their recovery.

William and Kate both They cleared their agendas of public duties. until at least Easter, but on Monday afternoon – hours before Charles’ diagnosis was made public – Kensington Palace announced that William would return to those duties later this week.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was also diagnosed with malignant melanomaan aggressive form of skin cancer, last month.

Charles was generally in good health and was known to enjoy long walks in the countryside; He contracted Covid-19 twice, in 2020 and 2022, but recovered in time each time.

If the King became so ill that he was temporarily unable to perform all of his duties, he could delegate some of them to two or more State Councilors.

The current State Councilors are Camilla, William, Harry, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice.

If the King becomes completely unable to fulfill his constitutional duties, to the point that the State can no longer function properly, his powers may be withdrawn and assumed by a regent. According to a 1937 law, that would be the next in line to the throne, which would be Prince William.