The Buckingham Palace bulletin was laconic and plain. The 75-year-old King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer in connection with his hospitalization for an enlarged prostate. Treatment was started immediately.
In which organ the cancerous tumor is located was not revealed. Whether it is one or more tumors is also unclear, as is the type of treatment given and how long it is expected to last. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the king’s cancer was detected at an early stage.
King Charles is being treated at home and Buckingham Palace has announced that it will not provide ongoing information on how the treatment is progressing.
That the palace chose to go out with the illness notice was revolutionary, but several questions remain unanswered.
We do not know how the king is doing, what the prognosis for a recovery is and how the family dynamic is affected by the disease.
The king’s younger son, Prince Harry, hastily left his Duchess Meghan and the two children at home in California and is now in the UK. King Charles and Prince Harry have not met since the coronation in May and the reasons for Harry’s haste could be many – in the worst case, the illness is more serious than Buckingham Palace let on and Harry is terrified of losing his father without having time to say goodbye.
Alternatively, the cancer acts as a wake-up call, meaning that Harry has realized that he must repair the relationship with his father after all the conflicts. Harry and Meghan’s sudden exit from court and the attention surrounding Prince Harry’s memoir The Other (Spare) led to the prince’s relationship with his father and brother, Prince William, becoming chilly, to say the least. If Harry waits too long, it may be too late for a reconciliation.
However, there is no information that the brothers Harry and William will meet during Harry’s stay.
For the heir to the throne, Prince William, the cancer news must have come as a shock at a rare inopportune time. The prince’s wife, Princess Catherine, underwent a major abdominal operation a couple of weeks ago and is expected to be convalescing for another two months. All her public appearances have been inhibited.
William must now be at hand for his wife, his three children and his father and also get used to the idea that, in the worst case, he will be proclaimed King William faster than anyone could have imagined.
King Charles III was crowned king less than a year ago, in May 2023. The hope now rests with the guaranteed skilled doctors responsible for the treatment the king receives. It is said to be more important than the pious assurance of the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, that the king’s strong faith will carry him through the strains his body is subjected to. If the treatment is not successful and the king either dies or is forced to abdicate, Great Britain faces a new succession of thrones and King Charles’ period as regent goes down in history as a record card.
On the day William becomes king, his eldest son, Prince George, is named heir to the throne. The young prince is ten years old and, not least for his sake, one wishes that his grandfather will be able to cope with the tough cancer treatment.
Annika Hällsten
The writer has previously been employed at HBL’s cultural editorial office.
