King Charles has faced one of the toughest years of his life. Back in early February, shocking news came out that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. This forced him to step away from his royal duties for treatment and recovery, staying out of the public eye until late April.
As of now, King Charles seems to be doing much better, but his wife, Queen Camilla, is said to be constantly battling with him to stop him from jumping back into work too quickly. Despite her concerns, the king and queen are planning their first big overseas trip in October to Australia and Samoa—unless, of course, Charles faces any serious health issues along the way.
Throughout his illness, King Charles has been fairly open, sharing updates on his condition, though in recent weeks, there hasn’t been much information. That changed on Wednesday when Charles finally broke the silence with an emotional update on his health.
King Charles’ Cancer Diagnosis
On February 5, Buckingham Palace made the surprise announcement about Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” the statement from the palace read.
The king decided to share his diagnosis to stop rumors and to help people understand the reality of cancer. This decision likely had a huge impact. After the news broke, Cancer Research UK saw a 33% jump in visitors to its website, with people seeking information on cancer signs and symptoms. It’s possible Charles’ openness may have even saved lives.
“I want to express my deepest thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” Charles said a few days after the announcement.
“As those who have faced cancer know, kind thoughts are the greatest source of comfort and encouragement.”
He also expressed how happy he was to see how sharing his diagnosis helped raise awareness and shed light on the work of organizations that support cancer patients worldwide.
“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication has grown even more as a result of my personal experience.”
Queen Camilla’s Concern About Revealing His Illness
While Charles felt it was important to share his condition with the world, not everyone in his close circle agreed. According to Robert Jobson, the author of Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, Queen Camilla was initially against the idea of going public with the diagnosis.
“Queen Camilla had initially been against disclosing his condition, but the King overruled her,” Jobson said. “He felt it was an opportunity to take a lead, encouraging men who experienced similar symptoms to seek medical attention.”
Despite Camilla’s reservations, Charles went ahead with his plan to go public. His decision was praised by many. As Jobson pointed out, the king had “ushered in a new era of transparency” within the Royal Family when it came to health matters.
Ongoing Struggles Between King Charles and Queen Camilla
Even though they’ve made it through the difficult months together, there are reports of ongoing struggles between King Charles and Queen Camilla about how much work he should be doing.
Despite his cancer diagnosis, Charles has kept up a packed schedule of royal engagements, much to Camilla’s concern. A friend of hers shared that Camilla is “deeply unhappy” with how hard her husband is pushing himself.
“Camilla was very unhappy that after just starting his holiday on Monday, he cut it short on Tuesday to do an intense engagement,” the friend said, speaking to The Daily Beast.
“Of course, she knows it was important, and she wouldn’t tell him what to do, but the timing was really bad. She wants him to slow down; she’s worried he’s working too hard, and that’s before we even talk about the Australia tour.”
Another source close to the queen confirmed that she has been trying to convince Charles to take things easier.
“She’s been trying to get him to slow down,” the friend said. “He wants to keep pushing through, but she’s afraid he’ll overdo it and hurt his recovery.”
King Charles’ Return to Public Duties
Despite Camilla’s concerns, King Charles is back to his royal duties. The king and queen have appeared together multiple times since Charles’ diagnosis was revealed. Most recently, on Wednesday, Charles hosted an event at Buckingham Palace, where he met with New Zealand’s women’s rugby team.
Though official updates about his health have been scarce—similar to how things were handled with Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis and previous surgeries—Charles did mention his health briefly at the event. He told the rugby players he wouldn’t be able to visit New Zealand during the upcoming tour due to “doctor’s orders.”
“I am deeply sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in late October because of doctor’s orders,” Charles said, according to the Express. “But I hope there will be another opportunity before too long.”
He added, “In the meantime, please send my love to New Zealand and New Zealanders. We are fortunate to have so many lovely Kiwis in this part of the world.”
With a warm smile, he also gave some advice: “I hope you enjoy your time on the team, because you don’t stay young for very long, as I found out—it all goes faster than you think!”
Preparing for an Overseas Trip
The upcoming October trip to Australia and Samoa will be King Charles’ first major overseas tour as king. Just recently, Buckingham Palace shared details of what’s sure to be a busy schedule.
“Their Majesties, The King and Queen, will undertake an Autumn tour from Friday, 18th to Saturday, 26th October 2024,” a Palace spokesperson announced. “This will include a royal visit to Australia, a State Visit to the Independent State of Samoa, and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.”
The trip will focus on celebrating the host countries, as well as highlighting the King and Queen’s personal interests and ongoing work. Given Charles’ cancer diagnosis, however, some changes have been made to the tour.
Adjustments Made for Health Reasons
Royal expert Cameron Walker shared that the tour will be different from the exhausting schedules of previous royal trips. For example, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia, she visited every state, territory, and several cities over the course of 58 days. In comparison, Charles will spend less than a week in Australia, only visiting Sydney and Canberra.
“Doctors have given the King the green light to travel,” Walker said. “But there have been some clear adjustments. For example, New Zealand was originally part of the trip, but that has been ruled out due to doctor’s advice.”
Walker also mentioned that Charles, being mindful of his ongoing cancer treatment, will participate in an event related to melanoma and cancer treatment, which aligns with the king’s personal experience.