King Charles cancer diagnosis
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King Charles Has Cancer—Less Than a Year After Taking the Throne

Here's everything we know about his cancer diagnosis and treatment

King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer, per an announcement from Buckingham Palace on Monday.

Here’s what we know so far…

The King’s cancer is unrelated to the surgery he recently had

According to the palace, the King does not have prostate cancer—but it was discovered during surgery he had a few weeks ago to treat an enlarged prostate, a benign condition common in older men.

In fact, the first signs that there might be something more serious going on with the 75-year-old monarch came after his surgery, when he spent longer than expected in hospital after the procedure.

For some Royal Family historical context: While it’s almost certain the two aren’t related, Charles’s grand-father, George VI had lung cancer (he was a heavy smoker) and had one lung removed. He died of a coronary thrombosis five months after this surgery. And while her official cause of death was “old age,” one book claims that the queen had been battling bone cancer in secret before she died at age 96.

What kind of cancer does the King have? The palace isn’t specifying

Unlike the enlarged prostate news—which was hailed by many for its transparency and led to a surge in search around the condition—the palace is keeping the precise details of the king’s cancer under wraps for now. Here, they seem to be taking a book from past royal tradition, where monarchs tend to keep their health information scant and post-facto.

That said: The wild conspiracy theories that have sprung up around the Princess of Wales’s very vague “abdominal surgery” may serve as a cautionary tale, and we may yet see more information to come. (Cue the ghoulish cries of, “The public has a right to know because it’s the head of state and therefore a matter of public interest.” etc.) Given that this cancer seems to have been discovered just last week, it’s also possible that Charles and his own doctors may still know relatively little about the scope and scale of the disease.

Still, as the statement from the palace stresses, he has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and to “assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.” Yesterday, by the way, was actually World Cancer Day.

The king will be “receiving regular treatment”

According to the palace, Charles will begin “regular treatments” on Monday, and will be postponing engagements for the foreseeable future. The king, who was seen just this Sunday walking into church, is apparently “wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.” The statement also adds that he is grateful for the “swift intervention made possible by the surgery.”

Prince Harry has been told the news and will visit his father soon

While we haven’t had any reaction yet from the wider Royal Family (like, say, Prince William who just announced he’s back to work after taking time off after his own wife’s non-cancer-related surgery), the Press Association has heard from a “source close to” Prince Harry. He’s apparently spoken with his father about the diagnosis and will be going to see him in the “coming days.”

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