King Charles cancer: Camilla gives update on monarch’ health
Queen Camilla shared new details about King Charles’ health as she stepped out for her first royal duty since the monarch’s cancer battle was made public.
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Queen Camilla arrived smiling at a charity concert and thanked fans for their support at her first royal engagement since King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
Arriving solo as the monarch recovers at his Sandringham home in Norfolk after undergoing treatment for cancer, the Queen thanked wellwishers in the cloisters of Salisbury Cathedral, just days after it was confirmed that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
It is understood she was forced to take a six-hour drive in the pouring rain to reach the ancient cathedral for the charity concert when her helicopter was grounded because she did not want to disappoint Charles.
Her Majesty, 76, had agreed to attend the event in the West Country several months ago before the monarch was diagnosed.
Wearing a long cream coat and suede boots for her first royal duty since the palace disclosed the king’s health condition on Monday, she appeared in upbeat spirits at the concert which is raising money for local charities the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, and Community First – Youth Action Wiltshire.
Ben Abbott of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, who is a friend of the Queen’s, was overheard asking: “I do hope HM is doing well Ma’am”.
The Queen told Abbott: “He is doing extremely well under the circumstances. He is very touched by all of the letters and messages the public have been sending from everywhere. That’s very cheering.”
Staff had organised the king’s official helicopter to fly her from Norfolk to Wiltshire but the heavy rain pounding southern England flooded the local helipad.
At one point aides advised her to cancel but she did not want to spark alarm about the king’s condition by not showing up and instead insisted on travelling by road.
Award-winning concert pianist Rupert Egerton-Smith was due to perform alongside The Band of The Grenadier Guards and The Band and Bugles of The Rifles.
The Band of The Grenadier Guards represent the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, while the Band and Bugles of The Rifles is the largest sole rifle regiment in the British Army.
TV star and Wiltshire Air Ambulance ambassador Paul Martin is hosting the event.
The Queen will later return to Sandringham to be with the King and is shouldering the bulk of his public engagements alongside Princess Anne, The Prince of Wales and Prince Edward while he undergoes treatment.
She has three engagements inked in the diary for next week.
Details of the king’s condition and treatment are staying under wraps.
The shock diagnosis comes a week after the 75-year-old British monarch left hospital following a separate procedure for an enlarged prostate.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know so far.
HOW WAS THE CANCER DETECTED?
King Charles’ shock announcement came just over a week after he was released from hospital following a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate.
He was discharged from the London Clinic on January 29 and was previously said to have been “doing well” after spending three nights at the private hospital near Regent’s Park.
Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday night local time that the King had been diagnosed with cancer.
In a statement the Palace said a “separate issue of concern was noted” after King Charles underwent a prostate operation. Tests revealed “a form of cancer”, the Palace said.
WHAT CANCER DOES HE HAVE?
The exact type of cancer has not been revealed and no further details are expected at this stage.
Specific medical conditions of members of the royal family are rarely divulged publicly. The palace’s perspective is that they are entitled to some level of medical privacy despite their positions as public servants.
That was the case with the initial diagnosis of an enlarged prostate, however, King Charles opted to share his diagnosis as he wanted to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked.
The Risk of developing cancer increases with age and more people receive a diagnosis during their 70s than in any other decade. The possibilities include:
Prostate cancer: This is the most common kind of cancer in men aged 75 and over, accounting for 25 per cent of cases a year in the UK. However, the Palace confirmed that the monarch, who turned 75 last November, did not have the condition despite undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate.
Lung cancer: This is the second most common type of cancers and accounts for 16 per cent of cancers in those aged 75 and older. And while smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, King Charles has not smoked since he tried cigarettes as a schoolboy.
Bowel cancer: This is the third most common form of the disease, accounting for 14 per cent of cancers in British men who are 75 years old and older. Symptoms include blood in the bowel or stools.
Bladder cancer: This is the fourth most common, and makes up six per cent of cancers in men of the King’s age. Symptoms are similar to that of an enlarged prostate, or prostate cancer, which includes a frequent need to urinate, a burning sensation and blood in the urine.
The symptoms are similar because an enlarged prostate pushes on the bladder and the tube taking the urine from the bladder to leave the body.
IS THE CANCER TREATABLE?
Prominent British oncologist Professor Angus Dalgleish says the cancer is likely to be “eminently treatable”.
Prof Dalgleish said while he would not want to speculate on the type of cancer the King has, he believed it sounded like “a very early cancer”.
“At the end of the day cancer is just a word – not a sentence,” he told GB News.
“In my experience if it is something they saw while they were doing this (procedure) then it is eminently treatable and that’s a very good thing.
“Hopefully it hasn’t spread and they’re giving him treatment. I don’t really want to speculate on all the different types but in the pelvis there are many things that you can come across very early and it’s curable.
“Obviously it’s very worrying for him as an individual but it is all I can say it is very, very common.”
Australian health expert Ginni Mansberg, however, said the fact that the King had cancelled all public appearances indicated that his condition could be serious.
Dr Mansberg told Seven’s Sunrise it was common to pick up cancer during routine tests before surgery.
“I think if it was something you could get rid of by surgery — let’s say, for example, a bladder cancer — then you’re normally back on your feet so I am concerned it might be something a bit more serious than that. I hope not.”
HOW IS THE KING DOING?
King Charles was all smiles and waved after he was pictured in public for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.
The King spent 45 minutes at Clarence House with Prince Harry on Tuesday local time, who had flown in from the US, before being driven to Buckingham Palace where he boarded a helicopter with Queen Camilla bound for Sandringham to begin recuperation.
He is said to be “positive about his treatment”, and “looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”, the Palace said in a statement.
On the advice of his doctors, the King is postponing his public-facing engagements as he receives treatment but will continue with state business and official paperwork, the Palace said.
Originally published as King Charles cancer: Camilla gives update on monarch’ health
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