Charles — who only ascended to the throne after the death of his mother in 2022 — first sought treatment for an enlarged prostate in January, with Buckingham Palace announcing the following month that cancer had been detected.
In the first substantive update on his health since then, Buckingham Palace said Friday that Charles’ treatment isn’t over, but that doctors are “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery.”
The announcement, carefully timed for the 6 p.m. news bulletins, will have been greeted with relief by a British public — not to mention a Westminster bubble — which has grown wearily accustomed to alarming news from the famously-secretive Buckingham Palace.
While Charles’ role is largely ceremonial, by convention the king does play a significant role in the smooth functioning of the British state. He signs acts of parliament into law and hosts gatherings of the Privy Council.
He also meets the prime minister once a week to provide something of a sounding board away from the sound and fury of Westminster — a rare sign of stability in a country that’s rapidly cycled through its leaders.
Concern over Kate’s health
The royals’ second annus horribilis began in January, when the king sought treatment at the fee-paying London Clinic for an enlarged prostate. At the same time, Charles’ daughter-in-law Kate Middleton, married to the next in line to the throne, Prince William, was admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery.
