Normally, statements from Buckingham Palace are routine and boring texts, about appointments and matters of protocol that are only followed – and out of the corner of their eye – by the correspondents to the Royal Family. But yesterday, shortly after six in the afternoon on a gray and windy, very wintery day, it instantly shook the editorial offices of all the newspapers in the world. It announced that King Carlos III has cancer.
What cancer is and its severity is not known. Only it is not prostate, but it was discovered following the operation he underwent more than a week ago, to reduce the size of the organ, which had become very large and caused him discomfort.
Charles III, 75, will continue to serve as king but for now will abandon all public duties on the recommendation of doctors, while he undergoes outpatient treatment that began on Monday after returning to London from the royal residence of Sandringham. , in Norfolk. The statement noted that he is in good spirits and is optimistic.
A cancer diagnosis is always a very hard blow, for anyone. In the case of Carlos – who practically spent his entire life as heir, given the longevity of his mother -, it occurs less than a year and a half after ascending to the throne in September 2022 and nine months after his coronation. last May. So far his reign has been a success, free of scandals and controversies, with a good reception (also to his wife Camilla) by his subjects. His activity has been frenetic, with three official trips abroad and hundreds of public appearances. Everything indicates that he was greatly enjoying the role, after an eternity of waiting.
Elizabeth II had excellent health until the end, with minor crises for knee and cataract operations, but now everything has come together for the British royal family: Charles’ prostate surgery, the recently announced cancer, the seriousness of which or not. is unknown, and an abdominal operation for Catherine, Princess of Wales, surrounded by enormous secrecy (she will not resume her duties until after Easter).
The news will inevitably affect family dynamics and the functioning of the monarchy in the coming months. The king personally informed his two sons, and Enrique – exiled in California – announced that he will travel to England in the coming days (relations between the two have been very strained since he decided to leave the country, and due to his accusations of racism against Meghan. ). Whether this is the first step towards reconciliation remains to be seen.
The crisis occurs at a time when the premeditated thinning of the monarchy has left it with few personnel for public functions. With Charles relegated to the offices and Catherine convalescing from an ailment whose nature is unknown, the burden will fall on Queen Camilla, Prince of Wales William, who had spent the last two weeks caring for his wife and three children. , and to a lesser extent Princess Anne and Prince Edward (with Andrew sidelined by sex scandals and his relationship with convicted abuser Jeffrey Epstein).
The diagnosis of the disease has immediately sparked speculation about a future transfer of power to William. Elizabeth II did not want to abdicate despite her age, and Charles did not seem to have the slightest intention of doing so either despite the fact that his and Catherine’s first-born son enjoys extraordinary popularity. Although they may seem dull or boring to many, they are discretion personified and offer, with their children, the image of the perfect family, the antithesis of the permanent psychodrama that Diana meant. But it all depends on how serious a cancer is, wrapped for the moment in the cellophane of the most absolute mystery.
Telegrams wishing for a speedy recovery began to arrive immediately from Washington, Paris, Berlin or Brussels, from friendly and enemy countries alike. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his best wishes to Charles III in a Downing Street statement, as did the leader of the opposition, Labor’s Keir Starmer, and the chief ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The monarch, for his part, thanked the medical team that treated him for quickly detecting the problem.
The king, who was last seen in public on Sunday leaving mass at the church of St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, has explained the decision to publicly report his cancer to avoid speculation, and to encourage Britons to undergo routine check-ups, especially after age 75, which is when most cases are diagnosed.
Charles III is the British monarch who has taken on the crown at an older age, and in fact he passed as heir from his earliest adolescence until after retirement age. Less beloved upon ascending the throne than his revered mother Elizabeth II, his mission until now has been to not make mistakes that could affect the stability and popularity of the institution, to be prudent and not express opinions on all kinds of topics that he used to blurt out like the prince.
Apart from this, in a climate of economic crisis and austerity, it has reduced the size of the monarchy, and among its plans was to open to the public or even sell some of its residences. All of this, and his campaign against poverty in the urban ghettos, will remain up in the air for the moment, while he fights his great personal battle. A battle whose terms are still unknown, with profound institutional implications for the Windsors, the country and the entire Commonwealth.