Everything we know about King Charles’s cancer treatment
King Charles was taken to hospital on Thursday for ‘a short period of observation’ after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.
The King, 76, is believed to be on good form, with one insider describing the incident as the ‘most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction’.
Charles has ‘returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure’ and received ‘medical advice’ to cancel his arrangements for Friday, Buckingham Palace said.
After the monarch’s diagnosis on February 5 last year, doctors said they were ‘very encouraged’ by his progress and remained ‘positive about the King’s continued recovery’.
The Queen also informed well-wishers just a month later that he was ‘doing very well’.
Here’s everything we know more than one year on from the news of his diagnosis.
Do we know what type of cancer King Charles has?
No. The palace has only confirmed the King does not have prostate cancer, and has not revealed any further details.
In a statement, it said: ‘No further details are being shared at this stage, except to confirm that His Majesty does not have prostate cancer.’
Is it linked to King Charles’ prostate treatment?
Charles’s illness was discovered while he was being treated for benign prostate enlargement at the London Clinic.
It was the same day Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, had abdominal surgery that sparked her own cancer diagnosis.
The palace would later say Charles is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did’ after she announced it in March.
He spent three nights at the London clinic private hospital, where doctor’s discovered a ‘separate issue of concern’.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the King does not have prostate cancer.
How is King Charles being treated for cancer?
When the diagnosis was publicly announced, Charles returned from Sandringham to London to start his treatment as an outpatient.
This meant he could stay at home instead of in hospital for the duration of hi treatment.
Where Charles is being treated, whether it is an NHS or private hospital, and what treatment he has been receiving has not been confirmed.
It was reported that Charles paused his treatment while on an 11-day visit to Australia and Samoa in October, according to the Daily Mail.
The palace confirmed his treatment would continue into 2025.
During a visit to Walthamstow in December, Sikh faith representative Harvinder Rattan asked ‘how are you’, to which Charles replied: ‘I’m still alive.’
What has King Charles said about his cancer?
An initial statement said Charles was ‘wholly positive’ and would continue to undertake State business and official paperwork, despite taking a break from public engagements.
Five days later, he released a statement saying: ‘I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days.
‘As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.’
His first visit after the break was to a specialist cancer centre in London at the end of April.
‘It’s always a bit of a shock isn’t it, when they tell you’, he said of his diagnosis during the trip.
Asked how he felt undergoing treatment, the King replied: ‘I’m alright, thanks. Not too bad.’
In his Christmas message, Charles said: ‘From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
‘I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.’
On World Cancer Day on Tuesday February 4, the Royal Family released a video featuring speakers from various charities and celebrities, including Macmillan Cancer, Maggies Centres, Cancer Research UK, Tom Daly, Victoria Derbyshire, and more shared inspirational messages.
They added he is grateful for the medical teams ‘swift intervention’.
However they have confirmed there will be no further updates today, and they will not be providing a ‘running commentary’ of his condition.
Could King Charles abdicate?
It was expected that the King’s son Prince William, would take up more public duties in his father’s absence.
But William’s wife Kate’s own diagnosis diverted his attention. Announcing an end to her chemotherapy in September, the couple said they wished to spend more time with their family, ‘which so many of us often take for granted’.
Kate announced in January that she is now in remission.
However, the King’s health concerns did raise the question of whether Charles might abdicate in favour of William, Prince of Wales.
Dr. Bob Morris, an honorary senior research associate at UCL’s Constitution Unit, previously explained that the Regency Act could also come into play amid any monarch’s ill health.
While the prospect remains unlikely, it could be triggered if the King became physically incapacitated due to illness, meaning he could no longer speak or move.
In such an event, his duties would be carried out by various members of the Royal Family.
After the Prince of Wales, Prince George would take the next place in the line of succession.
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