What does King Charles’ cancer diagnosis mean for Britain’s monarchy?

It’s a hard time for Britain’s monarchy. Just a month after King Charles underwent a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace has announced that the 75-year-old king has cancer and will be suspending public engagements to undergo treatment.

The news of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis has reverberated across Britain, which was just getting comfortable with the new king after seven decades of Elizabeth’s reign.

And in the absence of full details from the Palace, speculation has begun to grow and spread on everything from what this means for King Charles, how his sons — William and Harry — will react, and more seriously, what this means for the crown.

Away from the conjecture, here’s what is known so far and what it could mean for the royals.

King Charles’ cancer diagnosis

On Monday, Buckingham Palace put out a statement which said that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. While the type of cancer has not been declared, the palace said that it was discovered during his recent treatment for an enlarged prostate.

A statement from Buckingham Palace: https://t.co/zmYuaWBKw6

📷 Samir Hussein pic.twitter.com/xypBLHHQJb

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 5, 2024

It was further revealed that the monarch had begun “regular treatments” on Monday and would defer public duties during this period. The 75-year-old king would, however, continue with his official business and office work as usual. The BBC reported that his weekly audiences with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would continue in person, unless doctors advise that he limits such contact.

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The palace’s statement added that the monarch “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”.

The news comes just a week after he was seen in public, attending a church service in Sandringham after he had his prostate procedure at a private London hospital.

It has also been learnt that King Charles personally informed his close family, including his two sons — William and Harry. Harry, who lives in the United States with wife Meghan and his two children, is expected to head back to the United Kingdom to be by his father’s side. However, it remains unknown if Meghan and the children will also be returning.

Following the break of news, a flood of wishes came King Charles’ way; Britain’s prime minister Rishi Sunak wished the King a “full and speedy recovery”. Also, US President Joe Biden expressed his concern. In a post on X, he later said: “Navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship takes hope and absolute courage. Jill and I join the people of the United Kingdom in praying that His Majesty experiences a swift and full recovery.”

Pressure on royals

With King Charles now stepping away from public duties while he undergoes treatment, the Royal tours of Canada in May and Australia in October are in doubt.

Also, it will fall to the rest of the royal family to step more into the public eye while he heals. However, the list of working royals is comparatively smaller.

Queen Camilla, who also makes up the four counsellors of state in place if the king becomes incapacitated, has kept her full diary of engagements as well as supporting her husband. Royal commentator Kristen Meinzer told _Business Inside_r that while the king gets treated Camilla will likely be more visible to the public.

However, royal expert Neil Sean was quoted as telling Fox News that this time would be “difficult" for Queen Camilla as she will likely need to step away from her royal duties to aid Charles, which she “will want to do”. However, Charles “will want her out and about”.

The bulk of the pressure will fall to The Duke of Wales, Prince William, who has already taken on more responsibilities after father Charles sought treatment for an enlarged prostate last month and wife Princess Kate postponed her appearances at royal events until Easter due to recovery for an abdominal surgery.

Royal commentators predict William will have added responsibilities in his role within the royal family. For instance, on Wednesday, he is due to preside over an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace and a charity dinner. As royal observer Rachel Bowie told USAToday, “I just feel like the pressure on William has never been greater because his wife is not able to participate, he has three children he’s kind of helping look after, as he should, and then now, he has to kind of carry the weight (of father King Charles).”

Apart from William, there’s also King Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, and his brother, Prince Edward. Princess Anne is already a hardworking royal, carrying out several public engagements. In fact, in 2023, she conducted a whopping 457 engagements, the most in the family.

However, she too is ageing. As Meinzer said, “Anne is incredibly hardworking, and I think Anne has a lot of people’s respect, but she also is a senior citizen,” she said. “How much longer can we have all these senior citizens doing this much work all the time — doing hundreds of engagements a year?”

Huge blow for King Charles and the crown

The news of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis comes as a huge blow for the British monarchy. Charles stepped into the shoes of king only September 2022 on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth.

At the time, some commentators had expressed concern that the environmental campaigner, who was never shy to give forthright views on many issues as heir, would be a radical change, upending the stoical, dedicated style of his mother. However, he quietly settled into his new role, bringing in some significant changes without ruffling too many feathers.

In fact, his popularity has grown since he has taken the crown. A survey conducted in September last year revealed that 59 per cent Britons thought he was doing a good job as king, compared to only 17 per cent who say he was doing a bad job.

But with the news of the cancer and his stepping away from public duties, the questions will once again arise on whether Britain needs a king and as The Guardian writes whether it is fair to expect a man in his mid-70s to fulfil a rota of public duties.

With inputs from agencies