However, the fact of the matter is that while the Queen is undoubtedly preparing to play a supporting role, and will continue to carry out a full schedule of public duties, the pressure is now on the Prince of Wales to step up.
It could not have come at a more difficult time for Prince William as he – like many of his generation – finds himself caught between caring for young children and caring for elderly parents.
Charles, William and Harry attend a ceremony marking the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 2017.credit: AP
Yes, Camilla will still be the King's right-hand woman, but she is 76 years old.
At 41 and apparently healthy, it will fall to the heir to the throne to fill the gap as his father continues to undergo outpatient treatment.
Normally this would be a straightforward request, but the Princess of Wales's recent abdominal surgery has put her husband in a bit of a bind.
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With the king's blessing, he made clear he would focus on the immediate family, rather than the wider family business, as Catherine, 42, recovers from spending 13 days in a London clinic after undergoing surgery for an unspecified condition.
The princess is not expected to return to her official royal duties until after Easter at the earliest.
But it now appears that William will be asked to return to public duties sooner than planned to support the King. Although the King's direct diaries have been erased, it is expected that the Prince will undertake some of his father's obligations in addition to his own.
For now, the plan is for the king to continue holding his weekly meetings with the prime minister.
But if he did not feel able to do so, William, as the King's “faithful man of life and body”, would have to stand in for the Queen in his stepmother's place.
Likewise, the Prince of Wales will be the first point of contact to act as surrogate at investment processes, acceptance of credentials and other events of constitutional importance, although it is believed the King will continue to chair Privy Council meetings. .
The King's siblings, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh, are also likely to play an enhanced role – although it is understood they will act in their usual capacity as members of the royal family, rather than as state advisers.
Counselors of State are appointed by patent to replace His Majesty if he is unable to carry out his official duties as Sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad. But this is not thought to be necessary at present. Instead, the Royal Notes will be amended and added accordingly.
And what about the Duke of Sussex, who, along with the Duke of York, is no longer a working royal – but remains a Counselor of State?
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A source close to Prince Harry confirmed that after being informed of his father's condition before it was announced, Harry will travel to the United Kingdom to see him in the coming days.
Royal insiders are no doubt hoping that news of their father's cancer diagnosis will serve as a catalyst to get William and Harry back on speaking terms.
They are not believed to have had much contact since the book was published additionalHarry's searing autobiography, was released last January, after they barely exchanged words during the funeral of their grandmother, Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
While many sources have indicated that their once-close bond has been broken beyond repair, the one thing they still have in common is their shared love for their “lover”, their only remaining parent.
If William ever needed some brotherly love, it's now.
If this shock announcement leads to any kind of royal rapprochement, it will certainly help the monarch on the road to recovery.
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