Inside King Charles' cancer battle: Know about monarch's restrictions, weekly treatments, hectic schedule and more
King Charles swiftly recovered from cancer with advanced and progressive treatment but that's not all.
In a mere span of six months since the announcement of King Charles being diagnosed with cancer, he has made an incredible recovery. In February, he suspended most of his royal duties and engagements including the Royal Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral and a solo two-day visit to Belfast. Meanwhile, Camilla stepped in to fulfil the necessary duties of the King.
King Charles is recovering Godspeed and here’s how
King Charles has made a speedy recovery in the past six months with him now fit enough to travel 10, 000 miles at a stretch to Australia and Samoa. His medical assistants pointed out that not all cancer programmes are the same when the King made his public comeback in the cancer hospital on April 30. A source close to the King told Matt Wilkinson, Royal editor, “The Sun wasn’t shining in February but it is shining now”. He is “not yet out of the woods” but there has been a “great optimism” and his process of treatment went “better than anyone would have thought.”
However, it has been a question among the public as to how he managed a speedy recovery with no hair loss and only 30 minutes of audience with his younger son, Prince Harry. Here is how the royal household cared for the Monarch during his treatment.
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Weekly treatments
The King’s health plan, inspired by Operation Bubble, involved weekly treatments in London and rest at Sandringham, Highgrove, and Windsor. However, things got complicated when Prince Harry flew in from Los Angeles. This caused a delay in the King’s travel and limited their time together to just 30 minutes. Aides decided it was best to keep Harry away from Sandringham to reduce infection risks.
Although the King was off public duties for 103 days due to a weakened immune system. A source said, “We had to minimise potential risk from other people, not because he couldn’t do the job.” This was a precautionary measure to prevent secondary infections, following Covid-style protocols,” as reported by The Sun. However, he was eager to return to work after receiving positive treatment results.
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King follows Covid-style restrictions
He maintained Covid-style restrictions to minimize infection risks and gradually resumed duties, including attending D-Day commemorations and hosting events at Buckingham Palace. By summer, he had managed 464 engagements and received around 27,000 well-wishes. Despite being known for working long hours, he was limited to five hours of public duties per day to balance rest and work.
A source explained the importance of rest in King’s hectic schedule, “Rest and recovery has to be taken as seriously a priority as government duty, public duty, so we build in rest periods and try to limit the number of hours a day that are public-facing duties.” His recovery was aided by advanced, non-intrusive cancer treatments, and he continued to engage in private work. A source said, “He is not pioneering in any way as it’s available for any cancer patient. The treatments are highly evolved and sophisticated in ways previous treatments were not,” as people turned curious eyes to the King not losing any hair during the treatment.
Immense support provided by thepublic
An insider noted that the public's response has been significant and supportive. The insider said, “I can’t tell you what a difference that has made for him, it came with his support. When presented with facts of how many suffered enlarged prostate, and that there was a public health campaign and therefore some good can come of his personal setback, he totally got that and has been genuinely bowled over by the scale of response to that and cancer itself.”
Buckingham Palace has collaborated with charities like MacMillan, Maggie’s, and Cancer Research UK. The King’s comeback event at University Hospitals allowed him to connect with cancer patients, sharing that he had lost his sense of taste and would undergo treatment that day. While there are no current plans to reveal more about his cancer, the situation may change if he feels the timing is right. The King has been open about his prostate issue and cancer, though it’s unlikely he will specify the type of cancer. However, the insider added, “Never say never. There are no current plans to reveal the cancer. But if he felt that the time was right . . . ”
