King Charles diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace says
King Charles III health update FILE PHOTO: Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla are seen leaving The London Clinic on January 29, 2024 in London, England. (Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace officials said Monday.
Buckingham Palace did not immediately elaborate on the issue or the form of cancer that Charles was diagnosed with, saying the king “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.”
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” officials added. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”
The king told both of his sons, Princes William and Harry, about his diagnosis personally before the news was announced, BBC News reported. Prince Harry, who lives in the U.S. with his family, will travel to the U.K. to see his father in the coming days, according to the news network.
Charles ascended the throne in a coronation ceremony last year following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Last week, he was released from the London Clinic after spending three nights hospitalized following a procedure to treat a benign enlarged prostate, according to BBC News and Sky News. The condition, which is more common as men age, causes the urethra to narrow and decreases urine flow, according to the National Institute on Aging and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The king was discharged on the same day that Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was released from the London Clinic following abdominal surgery. Officials did not specify what prompted the surgery, which is expected to keep her out of the public eye until at least Easter.
0 of 56
1948 Princess Elizabeth holds her son, Prince Charles after his christening in Buckingham Palace. With her seated to the left is Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, and right is the Prince's Great Grandmother Queen Mary. Godparents standing from left to right; Lady Brabourne, The Duke of Edinburgh (standing proxy for Prince George of Greece), King George VI, David Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Athlone (who stood proxy for the King of Norway) and Princess Margaret. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images) (PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
1948 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II pictured when she was Princess Elizabeth with her first baby Prince Charles at Christening 1948. (Photo by mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) (Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
1950 Prince Charles waving to the crowd from the wall of Clarence House, London. Firmly held by nurse Lightbody, the Prince is seen on the vantage point from which he watched his grandparents, the King and Queen, and his mother, Princess Elizabeth, driving to Westminster for the State opening of Parliament ceremony (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images) (PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
1953 Buckingham Palace balcony. Coronation day 1953. The Queen and the Duke exchange smiles while Prince Charles and Princess Anne are absorbed with the planes roaring overhead. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty)
Prince Charles at Cove Reception. Prince Charles at Cove Reception. (Photo by George Lipman/Fairfax Media via Getty Images). (Fairfax Media Archives/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Prince Charles Portrait of Prince Charles. (Photo by François DUCASSE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) (Francois DUCASSE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Great Britain, Prince Charles During A Polo Game UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01: Great Britain, Prince Charles During A Polo Game (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
1975 Prince Charles sporting a beard at the Badminton Horse Trials, UK, 1976. (Photo by Serge Lemoine/Getty Images) (Serge Lemoine/Getty Images)
1976 Charles, Prince of Wales as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, poses beside a photograph of his Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in his cabin aboard HMS Bronington. (Photo by Frank Barratt/Keystone/Getty Images) (Frank Barratt/Getty Images)
1977 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (L) and Prince Andrew, Duke of York dress as cowboys on March 1, 1977 at Calgary in Canada. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images) (Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
1977 Canada: Prince Charles of Wales during a visit - during a speach (Photo by Kanus/ullstein bild via Getty Images) (ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
1979 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales during his visit to the North East 19 February 1979 - The Prince signs the visitors book at Gypsies Green Stadium, South Shields (Photo by NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) (Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
1978 Prince Charles At The Quorn Hunt Cross Country Event With His Pet Labrador Dog Harvey. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) (Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)
1978 Prince Charles In Yugoslavia At The Commonwealth Cemetery In Belgrade. Prince Charles Is Wearing A Naval Commander Uniform. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) (Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)
1979 Prince Charles And Camilla Parker-Bowles In 1979 (Photo by TIM GRAHAM/Getty Images) (Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)
1981 Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, (1961 - 1997) on the banks of the River Dee in the grounds of Balmoral Castle, Scotland whilst on their honeymoon. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, purchased Balmoral Castle in 1846, and the small castle which stood in the 7,000 hectare wooded estate was redeveloped in the 1850s.The granite building was designed by Aberdeen architect William Smith with suggestions from Albert himself, who decided the interior decoration should represent a Highland shooting box with tartan or thistle chintzes, and walls decorated with trophies and weapons. Queen Victoria often visited the Highlands with her family, especially after Albert?s death in 1861, and Balmoral is still a popular retreat for the present royal family. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
1981 Prince Charles & Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England, July 29, 1981. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) (Express Newspapers/Getty Images)
1983 Royal Tours - Prince Charles and Princess Diana (Photo by Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images) (Spremo; Boris/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
1997 (L to R) The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana, Princess of Wales, 06 September. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Central London to watch the funeral procession. The Princess died last week in a car crash in Paris. (Photo credit should read JEFF J. MITCHELL/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
1997 The Prince of Wales with Prince William and Prince Harry outside Westminster Abbey at the funeral of Diana, The Princess of Wales on September 6, 1997. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage) (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
1998 Prince Charles and Prince Harry show their support during the World Cup group G game between England and Colombia at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens, France. England won 2-0 to qualify for the knockout phase. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
2001 LONDON - AUGUST 4: (FILE PHOTO) (L-R) Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles appear with The Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday August 4, 2001 in London. Prince William will celebrate his 21st birthday on June 21, 2003. (Photo by Sion Touhig/Getty Images) (Sion Touhig/Getty Images)
2001 Britain''s Prince Philip points someone out in the crowd to Prince Charles, right, and Queen Elizabeth from the Balcony of Buckingham Palace during the "Trooping of the Colour" June 16, 2001 in London. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
2002 Prince Charles and his sons William (R) and Harry (L) appear at a photocall March 29, 2002 in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual sking holiday in the Swiss Alps. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images) (Julian Herbert/Getty Images)
2005 TRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, depart the Civil Ceremony where they were legally married, at The Guildhall, Windsor on April 9, 2005 in Berkshire, England. (Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images) (Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)
2005 Clarence House official handout photo of the Prince of Wales and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony, April 9, 2005 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Hugo Burnand/Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
2008 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales poses for an official portrait to mark his 60th birthday, photo taken on November 13, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Hugo Burnand-Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
2011 In this handout photo, dated March 21, 2011, issued by the Ministry of Defence,Prince Harry and his father, the Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, stand in front of an Apache Helicopter after Prince Charles was invited by the Army Aviation Centre in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps (AAC) in order to fly an Apache and to meet students on the Apache Conversion Course on March 21, 2011 in Middle Wallop, England. The announcement by St James's Palace comes a few days after the royal, a trainee Apache helicopter pilot, passed the half-decade milestone. (Photo by Richard Dawson/MoD via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)
2011 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L), Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales leave Clarence House to travel to Buckingham Palace for the evening celebrations following the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. (Photo by John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2012 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales observes sheep being mustered into shearing shed yards at Leenavale Sheep Stud on November 8, 2012 in Sorell, Australia. The Royal couple are in Australia on the second leg of a Diamond Jubilee Tour taking in Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
2013 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, known as the Countess of Strathearn, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, known as the Earl of Strathearn, when in Scotland during a visit to Dumfries House on March 05, 2013 in Ayrshire, Scotland. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge braved the bitter cold to attend the opening of an outdoor centre in Scotland today. The couple joined the Prince of Wales at Dumfries House in Ayrshire where Charles has led a regeneration project since 2007. Hundreds of locals and 600 members of youth groups including the Girl Guides and Scouts turned out for the official opening of the Tamar Manoukin Outdoor Centre. (Photo by Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2017 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales attends the Welsh Guards' Remembrance Sunday service at Guards Chapel on November 12, 2017 in London, England. The Prince of Wales has been the Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975. (Photo by Jeff Spicer - WPA Pool /Getty Images) (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
2018 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales salutes the troops as he visits 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment to mark ten years as Colonel-in-Chief and forty years since becoming Colonel-in-Chief of The Cheshire Regiment at Bulford Camp on February 9, 2018 in Salisbury, England. (Photo by Peter Nicholls - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2018 Prince Harry looks at his bride, Meghan Markle, as she arrives accompanied by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during their wedding in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2018 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales plays table tennis during a visit to Athlete's Village on April 5, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are on a seven-day tour of Australia, visiting Queensland and the Northern Territory. (Photo by William West - Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
2019 The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, try lawn bowls during a visit to the coastal village of Garlieston, Wigtownshire, where the port played an important role in D-Day preparations in 1944, in the testing of the Mulberry Harbours. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday September 11, 2019. See PA story ROYAL (Photo by Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Andrew Milligan/Getty Images)
2019 LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster on October 14, 2019 in London, England. The Queen's speech is expected to announce plans to end the free movement of EU citizens to the UK after Brexit, new laws on crime, health and the environment. (Photo by Paul Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Paul Edwards/Getty Images)
2022 LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales reads the Queen's speech next to her Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster on May 10, 2022 in London, England. The State Opening of Parliament formally marks the beginning of the new session of Parliament. It includes Queen's Speech, prepared for her to read from the throne, by her government outlining its plans for new laws being brought forward in the coming parliamentary year. This year the speech will be read by the Prince of Wales as HM The Queen will miss the event due to ongoing mobility issues. (Photo by Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Alastair Grant /Getty Images)
2022 LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September in Balmoral, on September 9, 2022 in London, England. (Photo Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Yui Mok/Getty Images)
2022 WINDSOR, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: (L-R) King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prince William, Prince of Wales, follow the State Hearse carries the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's Orb and Sceptre, during the Ceremonial Procession through Windsor Castle to a Committal Service at St George's Chapel during the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022 in Windsor, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Jacob King - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Jacob King/Getty Images)
2022 LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: King Charles III follows behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, as it is carried out of Westminster Abbey. after the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022 in London, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Danny Lawson/Getty Images)
2022 WINDSOR, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: In this image released on December 23, King Charles III is seen during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast in the Quire of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, on December 13, 2022 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images) (Victoria Jones/Getty Images)
2023 LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 03: King Charles III speaks to Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi during the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of the King Charles III and the Queen Consort at Buckingham Palace, on May 3, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Yui Mok/Getty Images)
2023 In this image released on December 23, 2023, King Charles III poses during the recording of his Christmas message at Buckingham Palace on December 7, 2023 in London, England. (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Sign Up
