On Feb. 5, it was revealed that King Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth Realms, has been diagnosed with cancer.
The news was delivered to the public in a statement from Buckingham Palace.
“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” Buckingham Palace said. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.”
While the form of cancer has not been named, it has been made clear that the King has not been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but rather cancer of another part of the body.
The public has voiced thoughts of this coming to the worst, and numerous news outlets have released articles about the British line of succession.
In the case that the King passes away or abdicates, his oldest son Prince William, would become King, followed by his three children and then his younger brother, Prince Harry.
Prince Harry–who stepped down from official royal duties in 2020 with his wife, former actress Meghan Markle–returned to the U.K. to visit his father after his announcement, leaving behind his wife and their two kids, Archie and Lilibet. The Prince only remained abroad for a short period, reportedly returning home after approximately 24 hours. His meeting with his father was also rather short, allegedly only lasting about 45 minutes.
“I think that Harry only visiting Charles for [a short period] and then leaving was not a good decision,” junior Sonya Shah told The Fanscotian. “He should have stayed a little bit longer and been there for his family, especially his brother, as Harry and [William] are King Charles’ only two children, so they could both support each other through this difficult time.”
The new medical updates on the King follow the news of Kate Middleton’s January surgery.
