Buckingham Palace officials announced on Monday, Feb. 5, that King Charles III is currently battling cancer. The announcement comes just days after the royal was discharged from hospital following a planned medical treatment.
According to the statement, while doctors were assisting King Charles III with a benign prostate enlargement, a new issue of concern was discovered. Tests confirmed he had a form of cancer.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” the statement reads. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”
Buckingham Palace further reports that the King is grateful to his medical team for their “swift” intervention, which was notably made possible through his recent hospital procedure. “He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”
The Palace added that King Charles III has decided to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation about his health. He also hopes that the transparency will help assist the public understanding of all those impacted by cancer.
King Charles III has experienced a fair share of speculation about his health over the recent years. According to Today, the royal has been diagnosed with COVID-19 twice. There was also concern about his swollen fingers and hands. The concern surfaced after pictures of his 2019 trip to the Solomon Islands were published.
Other previous health concerns include having a non-cancerous growth removed from his face and a hernia surgery. He also had numerous sports injuries in his younger years as well.
Doctors Believed King Charles III Had a Chance For Healthy Longevity Like His Parents
Just after King Charles III was named the King of England, many were concerned about him leading the nation at the age of 70.
However, some health experts believed that he had a chance of healthy longevity like his parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Both of them lived until their late 90s.
“King Charles, whose mother made it to 96 and father died at 99, may be looking forward to a decent reign in spite of only having started at 73,” Andrew Steele a British Scientist told Today.
The health experts also addressed some concerns for King Charles III, which included swollen hands and fingers. One expert, Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of internal medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said the symptoms could be heart, liver, and kidney disease.
“The feet and ankles are usually affected first,” Dr. Linder said. “And swelling generally has to be pretty advanced to involve the hands. For what it’s worth, I haven’t noticed obvious leg or ankle swelling in recent pictures in which he’s wearing a kilt.”
Dr. Linder also pointed out that fluid retention could be the cause of the swelling. Other medical conditions include osteoarthritis or arthritis. He listed rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and other forms of arthritis or inflammation in the skin as other possible causes. “However, I would expect most of these conditions to be associated with other symptoms,” he added. “Like marked joint pain, fevers or rashes.”
King Charles III reassured the public over the years that despite being in his 70s, he was in good health. He also pledged to serve his country “throughout the remaining time God grants” him.