by King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and is suspending public engagements to undergo treatment, casting a shadow over a busy reign that began less than 18 months ago after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The announcement, made by Buckingham Palace on Monday afternoon, came a week after the 75-year-old sovereign was discharged from a London hospital following a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.
The palace did not reveal what type of cancer Charles has, but a palace official said it was not prostate cancer. Doctors detected the cancer during that procedure and the king began treatment on Monday.
The news of Charles’ diagnosis resonated in Britain, which, seven decades into Elizabeth’s reign, has begun to feel comfortable with her son. Charles waited longer to ascend the throne than anyone in the history of the British monarchy, and he was a familiar figure, with a personal life relentlessly scrutinized by the British media when he became sovereign.
However, as king, Charles has become a confident elder statesman, putting a subtle but unmistakable stamp on the monarchy. He has traveled widely and spoken out on issues such as climate change that have long been important to him.
Anxiety for Charles was mixed with the hope that he would recover quickly. But in the absence of details about his condition, there was inevitably speculation as royal watchers analyzed the palace’s four-paragraph announcement.
“During the king’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, another issue of concern was noted,” the palace said. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. “Her Majesty has begun a regular treatment program today, during which time doctors have advised her to postpone her public duties.”
Palace officials said the king would continue carrying out other duties, including his weekly meeting with the prime minister, as well as the slew of daily paperwork he completes as Britain’s head of state. Officials said there were no plans to appoint state councilors to act in his place, a procedure that could indicate that the sovereign was unable to fulfill his duties due to illness.
The palace said Charles “remains entirely positive about his treatment” and looked forward to resuming his public engagements. He returned to London from his country residence, Sandringham, to begin outpatient treatment, palace officials said.
Charles, who ascended the throne in September 2022, is generally in good health. As a schoolboy he suffered from recurrent tonsillitis, but as an adult he enjoyed intense sports such as hiking, polo and skiing.
The king’s revelation about his prostate treatment, and now his cancer diagnosis, is unusual for the royal family, whose members often reveal little about their health. After the queen’s death at age 96, the palace issued her death certificate, which listed her cause of death simply as “old age.“
Still, palace officials made clear on Monday that they would not publish regular updates on the king’s condition and asked journalists not to attempt to contact those involved in his treatment.
The palace said in its statement that the king had decided to share his diagnosis “to avoid speculation and in the hope that it can help public understanding of all those around the world affected by cancer.”
The king’s youngest son, Prince Harry, has been in contact with his father and plans to travel to Britain to visit him, according to the BBC. Harry has been largely estranged from the royal family since he and his wife, Meghan, announced they were stepping back from official duties and moving to California.
Palace officials said Queen Camilla would continue to carry out a full schedule of official engagements during her husband’s treatment. She was a frequent visitor during his hospitalization for prostate treatment at the London Clinic, an elite private hospital in the city’s Marylebone neighborhood.
Charles’ illness caps a period of worrying health news for the royal family. Prince William’s wife Catherine was hospitalized for almost two weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery. She was released last week, but Kensington Palace has released few details about her recovery, which is expected to last until after the Easter holidays.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and ex-wife of the king’s younger brother Prince Andrew, recently said she had been diagnosed with melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer. It was her second cancer diagnosis in a year. Ferguson, 64, had spoken publicly about her decision to undergo a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery last year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer.
News of the king’s illness sparked an outpouring of well wishes from British and world leaders and other public figures.
“Wishing Her Majesty a speedy and full recovery,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted on social media. “I have no doubt that she will regain her full strength in no time and I know that the whole country will wish her well.”
President Biden, on a trip to Las Vegas, told reporters: “I’m worried about him. I just found out about his diagnosis.” Biden, who was welcomed by the king at Windsor Castle last July, said he hoped to speak with Charles soon.
Michelle O’Neill, the newly appointed Irish nationalist leader as Prime Minister of the Northern Ireland government, wrote in X“I am very sorry to learn of King Charles’ illness and want to wish him the best for his treatment and a full and speedy recovery.”
Royal observers were reluctant to speculate on how the king’s illness would affect the crown, given the paucity of information about his condition. Some pointed hopefully to the palace’s optimistic characterization of Charles’s mood.
“If the king becomes seriously ill, there will be constitutional questions to answer,” said Ed Owens, a royal historian who recently published a book, “After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?” “Likewise, a prolonged period out of public view will require the rest of the already overstretched royal family to do more.”
Owens said the king’s age made concerns about his health inevitable, adding: “It is moments like these that highlight the very human and potentially fragile qualities of the UK constitution.”
In his brief time on the throne, Charles has been both a figure of continuity and change: leading his life as he has for decades, but adopting a more politically engaged role than his mother ever played.
Last year, he hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle after she signed a Northern Ireland trade deal with Sunak. The moment drew criticism as it appeared to give a royal imprimatur to the deal, in what some considered an inappropriate intervention by the monarch in politics.
The king made two highly successful state visits to Europe, addressing the German parliament in useful German and attracting enthusiastic crowds during a walk with President Emmanuel Macron of France.
In December, Charles addressed the opening ceremony of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai and listed a litany of climate-related natural disasters that had afflicted the world over the past year: wildfires in Canada; floods in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; cyclones in the Pacific; and a drought in East Africa.
“We are taking the natural world out of balanced norms and boundaries and into dangerous, unexplored territories,” he said. “Our choice now is starker and darker: How dangerous are we really willing to make our world?”
