Shortly after, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, 75, would undergo a “corrective procedure” next week due to an enlarged prostate, and would postpone public engagements “for a short period to recover.” A palace spokesman said the king's condition was benign, but “His Majesty was keen to share details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get tested in line with public health advice.”
The written statement provides a link to information from Britain's National Health Service about benign prostatic hyperplasia, and advises that the condition can affect how a man urinates. The NHS notes that prostate enlargement is “common in men over the age of 50. It is not cancer and does not usually pose a serious health threat.”
In Britain, men over 50 are not routinely screened for prostate cancer by checking their prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, levels, as is common in the United States. The National Health System has concluded that PSA tests produce too many false positives and unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. Instead, the NHS relies on physical examinations and, if necessary, MRI.
Buckingham Palace was aware that two news events relating to royal health were exceptional, and told reporters, “in anticipation of questions about why this announcement was also made today” that the King had a series of meetings and events planned for later this week at his home. Dumfries House property in Scotland, “which has now been postponed on doctor’s advice.”
Foreign dignitaries and members of the government were scheduled to travel, “so we needed to make people aware of the situation.”
Concluding the note to reporters, the palace wrote: “I apologize, and I appreciate that this makes for a very busy day for all of you.”
British royal palaces usually remain silent about the health of the royal family.
When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 at the age of 96, the official cause was described as “old age,” according to her death certificate. Before her death, the Palace suggested that the Queen had “mobility” problems to explain her use of the cane and her limited schedule.
The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, also died of “old age” at the age of 99. The palace has reported on several of the prince's previous visits to hospital – for a bladder infection in 2012; Exploratory abdominal surgery in 2013; And hip replacement surgery in 2018.
The palace said at the time that a month before his death in April 2021, Philip underwent a “successful procedure for his heart condition.”
When then-Prince Charles tested positive for coronavirus in 2020, the palace issued a statement while he was in isolation. However, the public did not learn that his son William also suffered from coronavirus until six months later, and only because royal reporters found out.
The Palace statement on Wednesday noted that the Princess of Wales “appreciates the interest this statement will generate.” She hopes the audience understands her desire to maintain as much normalcy for her children as possible; She wants her personal medical information to remain private.
The palace said it would only provide updates on its progress “when there is important new information to share.”
The princess was last seen in public on Christmas Day with her family, as she attended a church service near the royal palace at Sandringham.
