I’ve mentioned this before in recent months, but it looked like King Charles had turned a corner health-wise. His color was improved, he seemed perkier and more alert, he seemed to have more energy overall. The palace still maintained that he was being treated for cancer on a weekly basis, but there are no longer the weekly Rolls Royce photo-ops to and from the hospital. I honestly thought Charles was doing much better this year. Well, he was hospitalized today. They already released him though?
The King was admitted to hospital on Thursday after experiencing adverse side effects connected to his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace has announced. The monarch was discharged following “a short period of observation” but was forced to cancel a series of engagements due to take place in Birmingham on Friday.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled. His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
The palace sought to play down the severity of the episode, with sources indicating that the King’s ongoing recovery path continues in a positive direction. Since returning to public-facing duties last Easter, he has ploughed on with a full programme of events, including state visits to Australia and Samoa last October.
The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer last February, following treatment for an enlarged prostate and has undergone weekly treatment ever since.
The “nothing to see here, don’t panic, all is well” statement reminds me a lot of when he initially went into the hospital to deal with his enlarged prostate. We all know how that escalated. It also feels like… when it’s a 76-year-old man with cancer, a king with access to the best private health care in the world, it feels pretty notable that they took the extraordinary step of taking him to the hospital and canceling his schedule for a few days. Well, I’m glad they released him right away and I hope it wasn’t anything too serious.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
