The Health of King Charles
King Charles shocked the world in February of 2024 when it was disclosed he had “a form of cancer.” Speculation that the disease might abruptly cut short his reign began immediately, given public figures often die not long after making a public announcement of a cancer diagnosis. Alex Trebek, John Lewis, and Rush Limbaugh would all be examples of men who died within a year of announcing they had cancer; though it’s worth noting that many other public figures have survived for years after making a similar disclosure, including Stephen Fry, Jeff Bridges, and Tom Brokaw.
The Buckingham Palace communications department, which manages the affairs of the British royal family under the King’s ultimate supervision, is famously guarded and often quite euphemistic about the state of the royals’ health. During the last year of Queen Elizabeth’s life, when her health was steadily declining, the palace did not keep the public particularly well-informed about the details of her decline, often using extremely vague language to describe how she was feeling, or why she was missing various appointments and events. Much of what the public learned about her decline came from the reporting of the British press, particularly the tabloid press, who rely on (often anonymous) leaks and gossip from those close to the royal family.
Background facts
Charles the Third (b. 1948), of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was the longest-serving heir to the British throne in history. Much of his personal legacy will be defined by the seven decades he served as Prince of Wales, or second-in-line to the throne, during the long reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022).
To date, Charles’ life has not been marked by any significant health problems or scares, but his reign as king was nevertheless expected to be comparatively short, just give the age at which assumed the throne. He is often analogized to Edward VII (1841–1910), an old man who served as king for just nine years (1901–1910) following the decades-long reign of his mother, Victoria (1819–1901).
Even if Charles was to die within a year of his cancer disclosure, he would not make British history. Charles became king on September 8, 2022, meaning that even at the time of his disclosure, he had already reigned longer than several of his predecessors. Charles’ great uncle Edward VIII (1894–1972) served less than a year on the throne, as did Lady Jane Gray (1537–1554) and Edward V (1470–1483).
Timeline
January 15, 2024: King Charles’ official photographic portrait is unveiled.
January 17, 2024: It is announced that King Charles has an enlarged prostate and must undergo treatment. Buckingham Palace says the condition is “benign” but that “public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”
January 26, 2024: King Charles visits the London Clinic.
January 29, 2024: King Charles is released from the London Clinic. The Palace confirms in a statement that the King “has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation.”
February 5, 2024: Buckingham Palace says that during his prostate procedure it was discovered that King Charles has “a form of cancer” and has begun “regular treatments” for it. “No further details are being shared on the stage of cancer or a prognosis,” reports the BBC, other than “it is not prostate cancer.”
February 6, 2024: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says “Thankfully, this has been caught early.”
February 6, 2024: the King is photographed for the first time since his diagnosis, traveling to his estate in Sandringham.
February 6, 2024: The New York Times publishes a story documenting the phenomenon of men being diagnosed with non-prostate cancer during prostate operations. One doctor interviewed says bladder cancer is what’s most likely to be found in such scenarios, with other, more severe cancers also possible. The story concludes “there is just too little information to guess what sort of cancer he has or how it was discovered.”
February 21, 2024: The King resumes his weekly meetings with Prime Minister Sunak. Their previous two meetings had been held over the phone.
February 27, 2024: King Charles does not attend an anniversary memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece, a close friend of the royals. At the last minute, Prince William skips the memorial as well, citing personal reasons. “Royal sources have indicated there is no cause for alarm,” says the BBC. The entire situation is made complicated given William’s wife, Princess Catherine, has also been undergoing surgery recently, with the precise state of her health also being kept somewhat unclear.
March 11, 2024: The King does not attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London and instead merely contributes a pre-recorded message.
March 19, 2024: TMZ reports that King Charles is very much alive, in response to a supposedly viral “Russian death hoax” about him on social media.
March 24, 2024: Peter Phillips, one of the King’s nephews, tells Sky News Australia that “[King Charles] is obviously very keen to get back to a form of normality and is probably frustrated that recovery is taking a little longer than probably he would want it to.”
March 28, 2024: King Charles does not attend the annual Royal Maundy festivities, usually one of monarch’s route obligations.
March 29, 2024: The tabloid inTouch says King Charles “has a mere two years to live.”
March 30, 2024: King Charles makes his first “major public appearance” since his cancer revelation, greeting crowds in Windsor after attending Easter service at St. George’s Chapel. The BBC reports that they understand “the church outing does not mark the start of a return to public duties, but is instead a careful first step back into the public eye.”
April 14, 2024: A royal correspondent on GB News says the King is “actually responding genuinely, really well to cancer treatment.”
April 16, 2024: Citing anonymous sources, Nottinghamshire Live reports that King Charles is “set to ignore medical advice” and will visit the nation of Samoa in October for the 2024 Commonwealth leaders summit.
April 25, 2024: The Daily Beast reports on the gossip surrounding Charles’ health, suggesting most of those in-the-know believe King is quite unwell.
April 26, 2024: Buckingham Palace releases a statement saying the King will “shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis,” specifically promising that the King will host the Emperor of Japan, among other events “in the weeks ahead.”
May 4, 2024: The Times reports that the King is frustrated with how little he’s been doing and is rearing to get back into the public spotlight.
June 5, 2024: Banknotes with King Charles’ face on them begin to enter circulation.
June 6, 2024: King Charles makes his first overseas trip since his diagonsis, visiting Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. However, he opts-out of an event on Omaha Beach, apparently for health reasons, allowing Prince William to take his place.
June 15, 2024: King Charles attends the “trooping of the colour,” one of the most iconic annual events for the monarch.
June 25, 2024: The state visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan hosted by the King in London goes off according to plan.
July 12, 2024: The first British mailbox with the King’s cypher is unveiled in Great Cambourn.
July 17, 2024: King Charles delivers the opening speech to parliament from the newly-elected Labour government, signalling a resumption of his standard duties as constitutional monarch.
August 19, 2024: King Charles one pound coins enter circulation.
September 3, 2024: In a quick answer to an onlooker’s question, Queen Camilla says the King is doing “very well.”
October 23, 2024: King Charles does indeed attend the Commonwealth summit in Samoa — the first of his reign.
December 8, 2024: President-elect Donald Trump tells the New York Post that Prince William said “his father is fighting very hard,” seemingly alluding to a more dire state of affairs.
December 20, 2024: A source tells NBC News that the King’s treatment is “moving in a positive direction.”
January 27, 2025: The tabloid Globe runs a cover story proclaiming “Cancer-striken King’s final days.”