Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in January last year. The news left millions of Royal Fans worldwide in shock, and while Kate Middleton announced she was cancer-free last fall, Charles is still being treated for cancer to this day. The monarch reportedly paused his treatment last year when he visited Australia and Samoa, perhaps indicating that things were headed in the right direction.
Sadly, it’s now said that the king has had a significant setback. Just days ago, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles had been admitted to the hospital after complications relating to his treatment. With he and Camilla set to visit Italy in early April, an update claims he’s been forced him to cancel his planned meeting with Pope Francis.
The Royal Family has undergone a very challenging time of late. In January last year, Kate Middleton first underwent abdominal surgery and was later diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, on the same day as Kate’s surgery was announced, royal fans were horrified to find out that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. The monarch began his treatment straight away, with Camilla stepping in for her husband when he had to miss several royal outings.
Just what kind of cancer Charles was diagnosed with is still not known. However, as per Sky News, the monarch has regularly attended private appointments in London. Shortly before Christmas last year, the news outlet reported that Charles would continue with his cancer treatment in 2025.
Moreover, sources said his treatment “has been moving in a positive direction.” Speaking to Sky, Laura Lee, chief executive of the cancer support charity Maggie’s – which Camilla is president of – said it’s not rare that cancer treatment takes time.
“It’s very common for treatment to be ongoing for very long periods of time, as is the treatment that the Princess of Wales went through, which is an intense period of treatment over a year, and then it comes to a point where it’s on an end, and she’s on that recovery from some of the impacts of her treatment,” Lee told Sky News at the time. “So we’ve got immunotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy. There are all sorts of different treatment modalities. And so it’s not surprising at all.”
King Charles was hospitalized due to “side effects”
She continued: “What we’ve heard from our centre visitors, it’s been good that they haven’t just shone a light on one specific cancer type, but they’ve shone a light on cancer as a whole, and that there’s varying treatment and varying impacts and varying different ways of navigating the challenges that cancer bring. And I think that approach has been much more effective and positive for the cancer community. I know firsthand that everyone is so grateful to them for doing that.”
Despite his cancer, Charles decided to travel on his first state visit abroad last fall, visiting Australia and Samoa. The king reportedly paused his cancer treatment after getting clearance from his doctors for the journey to the other side of the world. As the new year was rung in, everything seemed to be going in the right direction for Charles. Sadly, the optimism didn’t last.
In late March, Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch had spent a short time at hospital after experiencing temporary side effects during his cancer treatment.
“Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital,” the statement from Buckingham Palace read.
“His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled.”
While it might have sounded like a dramatic turn in King Charles’ journey, leading oncologist Professor Karol Sikora told GB News that “no one need worry.”
“He went to hospital and there’s clearly a side effect,” Sikora said, adding that such incidents are “very usual” for those undergoing cancer treatment. “Sure, he’s canceled engagements but these things happen to cancer patients,” he told GB News.
“The best thing to do is carry on as normal”
Moreover, the oncologist said that Charles’ cancer has marked a significant shift in the Royal Family’s transparency regarding health matters.
“It’s fascinating to see how the world has changed over the last 20 years. 20 years ago, we’d never be told anybody had cancer in the Royal Family,” he added. “Now we’re told. We’re not told everything, and that’s fair enough, as it’s people’s personal data, it’s personal information.”
Sikora concluded by advising King Charles and others in the same situation.
“The best thing to do is carry on as normal. If you’re not working, but you’ve got a family, just carry on looking after the grandchildren. Whatever you do, just do it. Otherwise, you sit there and become miserable,” the oncologist told GB News.
Though Charles’ cancer remains, he won’t let it affect his daily work or even his chances of building new strong relationships abroad. In early February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles and Camilla would visit Italy and the Holy See in early April.
The king and queen were also set to meet Pope Francis to mark the celebration of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year. The couple will take on engagements in Ravenna and Rome, where they will “celebrate the strong bilateral relationship between Italy and the United Kingdom,” the palace said.
The trip to Italy will be Charles’ 17th trip to the southern European Country and his first overseas trip this year as monarch. Speaking to GB News, King Charles’s former butler, Grant Harrold, praised his former employer’s careful approach to the state visit and consideration of his health.
“I think also he’s getting on a little bit, obviously he’s a little bit older. I mean when his mother became queen and she was undertaking state visits, obviously she was a lot younger. I think because of obviously his age and his recent health and everything, they’ve probably just kind of been sensible about how they plan these kind of things. This is already his ninth visit since becoming king,” he said.
King Charles & Queen Camilla to visit Italy
The former royal butler continued: “I just think they’re probably just planning it carefully and trying to make the most of his time while he’s overseas. With all state visits, it can be just for a couple of days or up to about a week. I’m not too sure exactly how long he’s there for. But again, these kinds of things, when they get planned, they make the most of it.”
Harrold continued by saying that he believes Charles is “doing really well” and is “very positive” despite the tough treatment.
“The amazing thing is that they have this resilience just to carry on. And that’s what he’s very much doing is we know he’s great. He’s a great example.”
Of course, Charles’s ability to perform his duties despite his cancer treatment is positive. However, not everyone is confident that things are as good as they seem. Writing for News.com.au, royal expert Daniela Elser wrote about a recently released photo of Charles, comparing it to one taken four years ago. She said that the “ordinary” photo proved “the desperate situation unfolding behind Palace Gates.”
She wrote that the 2020 picture, taken in Jerusalem, Israel, showed the “unmistakable” difference in Charles’ appearance, which is “painfully hard to ignore. “
“The King might have been all smiles at church in late January, but Buckingham Palace is today facing down a previously unheard of, never-considered royal scenario — how to keep Crown Inc going in the time of an aging, cancer-battling monarch who is increasingly rattling around the Palace, stranded and with fewer than ever people to call on,” Elser wrote in a column for News.com.au, continuing by comparing him to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“As he ages and as he battles cancer, he has only very few working members of the royal family left he can rely on and delegate to in order to help him shoulder the load,” Elser added.
Meeting with Pope Francis canceled
King Charles and Camilla’s trip to Italy will also include audiences with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The king and queen will also attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president.
However, there has been quite a sorrowful change made to the visit’s schedule for Charles and Camilla. Pope Francis’ health has been in full focus the last number of months after he was hospitalized following a long battle with bronchitis, and it was long unclear if he would survive. While he was battling for his life in hospital, a palace source told the Mirror that they had shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Franics’ health will enable the visit to go ahead” for King Charles and Queen Camilla.
After five weeks of hospitalization with what turned out to be pneumonia, Pope Francis was finally allowed to leave the hospital. Still, it has now been announced that the meeting between the Pope and their Royal Majesties won’t go ahead.
“The King and Queen’s State Visit to The Holy See has been postponed by mutual agreement, as medical advice has now suggested that Pope Francis would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement,
“Their Majesties send The Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered.”
While the trip to Italy will now see a change to its schedule, one day will certainly still be very special to Charles and Camilla. On April 9, the couple will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Hopefully, that will include a day full of love and happiness for the couple.
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