King Charles has faced one of the most challenging years of his life. In early February, the world was shocked when Buckingham Palace announced that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. The king took a break from his royal duties until late April to receive treatment and recover.
At the time of writing, King Charles appears to be back in action. However, Queen Camilla is reportedly in a constant battle with him, trying to keep him from pushing himself too hard too quickly. The royal couple is scheduled to embark on their first major overseas tour in October, visiting Australia and Samoa, but that depends on whether the king’s health remains stable.
While King Charles has been open about his health, sharing minor updates regularly, things had been quiet for a while. But on a Wednesday in September, he finally broke his silence, offering a heartfelt update.
Back on February 5, the palace released the shocking news of his cancer diagnosis. A statement from Buckingham Palace read, “The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to 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 statement also included why Charles had chosen to reveal his illness: “His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”
This decision to be transparent might have had a far-reaching impact. Cancer Research UK reported a 33% increase in visits to their website as people sought information on the symptoms and signs of cancer, thanks to King Charles’ announcement.
A few days after the news broke, Charles released another statement, thanking people for their support. “I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” he said. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
He also added, “It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world.”
Queen Camilla, however, did not initially agree with Charles’ decision to go public about his illness. Royal expert Robert Jobson, author of Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, shared that the Queen was initially opposed to disclosing the diagnosis.
According to Jobson, “Queen Camilla had initially been against disclosing his condition, but the King overruled her, as he felt it was a chance to take a lead, and in doing so to encourage men experiencing similar symptoms to seek timely medical attention.”
This decision turned out to be impactful, with Jobson revealing that there was a significant spike in searches about prostate health following the king’s announcement. “The NHS England page on benign prostate enlargement had more than 26,000 visits in the 48 hours after the announcement, compared to a daily average of just 1,400,” Jobson said.
Despite these challenges, Charles and Camilla have remained united. However, reports suggest there is an ongoing struggle between the two. Queen Camilla is reportedly “deeply unhappy” with how packed Charles’ schedule has been, especially given his recent health battle.
A friend of hers shared with The Daily Beast, “Camilla would have been deeply unhappy that having only begun his holiday on Monday, he broke it off on Tuesday to do an incredibly intense engagement.”
The friend went on, “Of course, she understands it was very important, and there is no way she would try to tell Charles what to do, but it seems to be extraordinary timing. She wants him to slow down, she is afraid he is working too hard, and that’s before you even get to the Australia tour.”
Another source close to the couple echoed this concern: “She has been trying to encourage him to slow down. Of course, he wants to keep cracking on, but she is afraid that doing too much could set him back.”
Despite his wife’s worries, King Charles is now back to performing his royal duties. The king and queen have appeared together frequently since the diagnosis, and just recently, the monarch hosted an event at Buckingham Palace, where he met with New Zealand’s women’s rugby union team.
During the event, Charles mentioned his health, explaining that he wouldn’t be able to travel to New Zealand as planned. “I am extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in later October because of doctor’s orders. But I hope there will be another excuse before too long,” he told the players, according to The Express.
He added humorously, “And I hope you make the most of your time in the team because you don’t stay young for very long, as I discovered, it all goes quicker than you think.”
The king’s upcoming trip to Australia and Samoa in October will be his first major overseas tour as monarch. Buckingham Palace shared the details of the trip, which will span from October 18 to October 26, 2024. A Palace spokesperson said, “This will include a royal visit to Australia, a State Visit to the Independent State of Samoa, and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.”
The tour will celebrate the host countries and reflect the royal couple’s interests, including a meeting with two Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scoyler, to discuss their work in fighting melanoma, one of Australia’s most common cancers.
However, the tour will look different from past royal visits. Cameron Walker, a royal expert, pointed out that “very clear adaptations” have been made to the schedule. “In contrast to Queen Elizabeth II, who visited every state of Australia in 58 days, the King will be in Australia for less than a week and will only visit Sydney and Canberra.”
According to Walker, the king’s health is a major factor. “Doctors have given the King the green light to travel, but adaptions have been made. New Zealand, which was originally on the agenda, has been ruled out on doctor’s advice.”
Even with these adjustments, King Charles remains committed to his royal duties, though his health remains a top priority. As Walker noted, “Because he’s been mindful that he’s undergoing cancer treatments, he’s also going to be spending some time at an engagement to do with melanoma and cancer treatment.”
Despite the challenges of this year, King Charles continues to lead with determination, even as Queen Camilla works behind the scenes to make sure he doesn’t push himself too far.
