LIKE me the nation will be in deep shock at the news that King Charles has cancer – because he is the healthiest man I know.
For the past forty years I have tried to keep up with our monarch as he shakes countless hands, travels across the globe and meets assorted dignitaries.
I must confess that I have not been able to match him for stamina or pace on Royal tours.
Charles works out every evening, loves nothing more than walking across Balmoral’s glorious hillsides in Scotland and only eats organic food, often grown by himself.
The King is incredibly disciplined about his diet.
He doesn’t eat lunch, choosing to go from breakfast to dinner without a proper meal.
For that reason he has never put on weight, maintaining the trim figure of his youth.
But even though an unhealthy lifestyle can increase the chances of cancer, even incredibly healthy people like the 75-year-old King can receive a devastating diagnosis.
Anyone who hears the words ‘it is cancer’ will be anxious.
Thankfully, survival rates are improving all the time thanks to medical breakthroughs and improved treatments.
There is little doubt that His Majesty will receive the best medical care in the world and I am hopeful that his consultants have caught whatever cancer it is early.
If anyone can get the better of this insidious illness, it is Charles.
The fact that the statement from Buckingham Palace states that he is “wholly positive about his treatment” should reassure people.
When I met Camilla on Friday at a Royal Voluntary Service event in Cambridge I didn’t sense any gloom.
The same could be said for the King’s arrival at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk on Sunday when he appeared to be healthy and upbeat.
It was his first public appearance since leaving hospital a week ago for an operation to treat an enlarged prostate.
Everyone assumed he was in full recovery as he waved happily to well-wishers.
But the fact that he spent three nights in hospital for what is generally routine procedure that is completed in a day did point to further tests being carried out.
Those tests have revealed that a form of cancer is present.
His Majesty is a very pragmatic man who will face his condition head on, but make sure he continues to do his duty where he can.
Charles is a total workaholic who is at his desk at ten o’clock in the morning and never leaves until everything in the in tray has reached the out tray.
Even at 2am in the morning, if he gets an idea he will ring someone to share his vision.
So it doesn’t surprise me that His Majesty plans to keep up with his official paperwork and state business during his treatment.
I am sure he will be desperate to carry out his Royal tours in Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia later this year.
The statement says he “looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”.
Naturally, this will be an extremely worrying time for Camilla, but she will be a tower of strength for her husband.
The Queen Consort will be by his side throughout his treatment and her words of comfort and encouragement will aid his recovery.
Charles will know that his son and heir Prince William is more than ready to step up and fill in on royal duties.
And it is great news that his other son Prince Harry is planning to fly over to Britain from his home in the United States in the coming days to visit the King.
If anyone can get the better of this insidious illness, it is King Charles
Arthur Edwards
Perhaps the cancer will bring Charles and Harry back together and even help heal other family wounds.
I have only ever seen Charles in hospital three times, once in Florida when he was overcome by heat stroke while playing polo, then when he broke his arm in Cheltenham and last month when he went to hospital for his prostate.
Each time he has bounced back quickly.
In the past the Royal Family would have kept the general public wondering about the monarch’s condition when they entered hospital.
Both Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip were reluctant for palace officials to confirm any details of their ailments or anything life-threatening.
To this day no one is certain what the state of the late Queen’s health was prior to her death in September 2022.
Times, though, have changed and His Majesty is a king for a more open age.
Charles was thrilled that so many more men went for a prostate test after he revealed he was having an operation.
That alone will have saved countless lives and rescued their loved ones from heartache.
It is essential that all men and women take up whatever cancer checks are available to them.
If something is wrong go see your doctor.
For that reason we should applaud Charles for choosing to reveal his cancer diagnosis in order to “assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”
Over the decades His Majesty has been there for so many people, visiting hospitals and offering them hope.
When I had a bad back, he said “let me show you the exercises I do every night for my back”.
He is an incredibly caring and compassionate man, who empathises with those in need.
Now it is the time for the nation to show how much they care for him, which I am sure they will.
How the King and Kate’s respective health battles unfolded:
Tuesday, January 16: Kate, 42, is secretly admitted to the London Clinic and undergoes abdominal surgery.
Wednesday, January 17: Kensington Palace announces the princess’ operation and says she will remain in the private hospital for 10-14 days.
Over an hour later, Buckingham Palace announces the King, 75, is to have treatment for a benign enlarged prostate and will be admitted to hospital in a few days.
Thursday, January 18: Prince William spends time at his wife’s bedside, driving himself away from the back entrance during the low-key, private visit.
The Queen says the King is “fine” and “looking forward to getting back to work” during a visit to the Aberdeen Art Gallery
Friday, January 19: The King flies back from Scotland with the Queen and heads to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk to rest ahead of the procedure.
Monday, January 22: The Queen tells 86-year-old well-wisher Jessie Jackson that the King is “fine”, and thanks her for asking, while she carries out engagements in Swindon.
Camilla urges the King to take it easy. An insider told The Sun: “The Queen has told him he needs to slow down a bit.”
Thursday, January 25: The King arrives back in London from Sandringham ready for his treatment.
Friday, January 26: The King is admitted to the London Clinic for treatment for an enlarged prostate and also visits the Princess of Wales, who is recovering in the same hospital.
Sunday, January 28: Queen Camilla arrives for her fourth visit on Charles’ third day in hospital.
Monday, January 29: King Charles leaves hospital.
Sunday, February 4: Charles seen waving as he walks to church at Sandringham.
