As in many other things, Queen Elizabeth II She was a pioneer when it came to publicly commenting on issues related to her health, explaining how she had received the Covid-19 vaccine, and encouraging citizens to get it too. But what about his son, Charles III of England, has a special relevance, because the news of his cancer, early last year, shook the UK and the rest of the world. The monarch shared this Friday on television the improvement he has experienced after 10 months of treatment.
“Today I can share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and compliance with my doctors’ orders, my cancer treatment schedule next year can be reduced,” announced Charles III in an intervention recorded on November 27 at his Clarence House residence and broadcast this Friday night on Channel 4. The television network has presented its special program Stand Up To Cancer (Face Cancer), performed live from the oncology clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
The king immediately accepted the invitation to participate in the program of Cancer Research UK, the main British research organization for this disease. He dedicated his speech to supporting a new national campaign that launches a website, screeningchecker.co.ukthrough which citizens will be able to consult what type of cancer detection programs they can access.
Charles III has been very cautious when it comes to giving personal information about his health, although the little information derived from his recorded message already breaks with Buckingham Palace’s custom of preventing these matters from entering the public domain.
Neither the type of cancer the monarch suffers from nor the specific treatments he has received throughout this year remain unrevealed.
“Her Majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment, and her doctors have advised that the measures still in place now move to a preventive phase.”[[precautionary, en la expresión inglesa; no en el sentido de prevenir el cáncer sino su reaparición, como fase de seguimiento o vigilancia]”said a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace. “This situation will be continually monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery,” he added.
Carlos III must, therefore, continue receiving treatment, but with a much more attenuated intensity.
“I have learned something that particularly worries me,” the king says in his recorded message. “At least nine million people in our country are not up to date with the cancer detection tests available to them. That means nine million opportunities of not achieving an early diagnosis,” emphasizes Carlos III. “And early diagnosis simply saves lives,” he warns.
The British king soon resumed his public agenda. Accompanied by the queen consort, Camilla, he was seen on April 30 on a visit to the MacMillan Cancer Center in London. During the first three months of treatment, The monarch maintained a certain public presence through communications written or recorded, photos and videos, to convey the idea that his capabilities remained full and that he was capable of following the day-to-day affairs of State.
Starting in April, Charles III’s activity accelerated noticeably, and included official trips, such as his recent visit to the Vatican.
“As I have already pointed out on occasion, the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest of compassion. But compassion must be accompanied by action. This December, when we come together to reflect on the year that has passed, I pray that each of us commits, within the list of resolutions for the coming year, to play our part in catching cancer at an early stage,” the monarch asked in his television message.
