British King Charles III began receiving treatment in London on Monday after it was announced that he had cancer, following surgery last month to treat an enlarged prostate.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement, Monday, that while King Charles (75 years old) was being treated for a benign enlargement of the prostate in hospital recently, subsequent diagnostic tests identified a form of cancer.
The statement did not confirm the type of cancer the king suffers from.
The king’s health status
The king’s health problems began when Buckingham Palace announced on January 17 that he had been hospitalized because he needed a procedure to treat prostate enlargement. Indeed, later last month, he was admitted to the London Clinic Hospital and spent 3 days after undergoing a “corrective procedure.”
A palace statement said, on January 30, that the king was discharged from the hospital “after undergoing planned medical treatment, and re-planned his schedule of upcoming public engagements so that he could spend a period of recovery and convalescence.”
Buckingham Palace: The King of Britain has cancer
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that the king had been diagnosed with cancer and began treatment today.
According to Reuters, members of the British royal family usually do not reveal details of their health conditions as they are private matters. However, Charles was keen to share details of his condition to encourage men suffering from symptoms of this disease to undergo a medical examination.
The situation is also different when public duties are expected to be affected.
This was followed by the announcement that the king had been diagnosed with cancer. According to a royal source who spoke to CNN, the disease is not “prostate cancer,” without providing other details.
The palace statement indicated that King Charles began “a regular treatment schedule, and during this period doctors advise him to postpone his duties that require him to appear in public.”
He added: “During this period, His Majesty will continue to carry out state duties and official paperwork as usual.”
While CNN indicated that the King is expected to continue his weekly meetings with the Prime Minister, provided that alternative arrangements will be made if doctors advise him to reduce personal contact.
Princes William and Harry
Prince William is set to return to resume royal duties on Wednesday, for the first time since his wife, Princess Catherine, had surgery last month.
CNN quoted a source close to the Prince of Wales that William is in regular contact with his father. The announcement of his resumption of some royal engagements came just hours before it was revealed that the king had cancer.
Meanwhile, a source close to Prince Harry (the youngest son of King Charles) told Reuters that he spoke with his father about his cancer diagnosis, and that he would travel to Britain to check on him in the coming days.
After King Charles was diagnosed with cancer… a move from Prince Harry
The British Sky News network reported that the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, spoke with his father, King Charles III, after it was announced that the latter had been diagnosed with cancer.
Harry lives in California with his wife, the former American actress, Meghan Markle, after the couple stepped down from their royal duties in 2020.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on the X platform: “I have no doubt that he (the king) will return to full strength within a short period of time, and I know that the entire country wishes him safety.”
What if illness prevents the king from exercising his duties?
There is a constitutional mechanism that is followed if the king is unable to perform his official duties, which is the possibility of appointing “state advisors” to act on behalf of the king in those duties.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the current list of advisors includes Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward, while Prince Harry and Andrew are not called for this mission due to their stepping down from royal duties.
CNN quoted a royal source as saying that there are no current plans for such a measure, in light of the reassuring data about King Charles’ health.
The network added that if the king is completely unable to carry out his constitutional duties, and the state is no longer functioning properly, his powers can be withdrawn and transferred to the next person in line to the throne, which is Prince William in this case, under the Regency Law of 1937.
For such a move to occur, there must be medical evidence that the king is “currently unable to perform his royal duties due to mental or physical incapacity” or for a “specified” reason.
Here, a committee must be convinced by this evidence and by a majority of votes. This committee consists of the Lord Chancellor (Minister of Justice), the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Chief Justice of England, and the President of the Court of Appeal, along with the Queen.
The members of the committee must announce the decision in writing, and they will have to announce whether and when the king will once again be able to perform his duties. During this period, Prince William acts on behalf of the King.
2024-02-06 08:04:37
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