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Despite inheriting the longevity genes from parents Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – and his grandmother, the Queen Mother, who made it to 101 – Charles still regularly skips lunch, strictly favours organic produce, and undertakes his Royal Air Force training of twice-daily sit-ups, push-ups and spread eagle jumps.
His only real health worry, until last month, was his swollen “sausage fingers”, which he joked about at his coronation, and previous injuries when falling off polo and hunting horses in his 30s and 40s.
It is, perhaps, important to remember that his mother’s long reign – 70 years – was a historical anomaly, and that long periods of stability are the exception rather than the rule. And, after all, the royal institution has 1000 years of experience in dealing with situations such as this.
There are counsellors of state who have been appointed by statute since 1937 for this very reason, although the King has been assured they are not needed, for now.
Should they be, William, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne are three of the seven family members who can discharge the functions of the monarch, should he be temporarily indisposed. Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Beatrice can step up legally too. It’s unlikely the remaining two family members, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, would get the nod.
If they were required, then the King would issue letters patent – most likely stating a specific period – to delegate powers to the counsellors. These have been used many times when monarchs have gone away on foreign trips.
A monarch being indisposed is not a new occurrence in the history of Britain – Charles stepped up when his mother was too ill to open parliament two years ago.
When the King’s grandfather, George VI, was bedridden with lung cancer in 1951, the Lord Chancellor opened parliament on his behalf. George IV was 48 when he became regent in 1811 as a result of his father George III’s ongoing illness.
In short, there is a set of mechanisms to temporarily relieve the monarch of their duties if needed.
The return of Harry, the exiled prince, will create predictably breathless headlines, but it is a reminder that most family disputes can be put aside when trumped by more important events. The strained relations between the King, the heir and the spare have been well-documented.
Perhaps as Harry was preparing to board a plane in California, he was remembering his father’s words.
“Please, boys … don’t make my final years a misery,” Charles was said to have told his sons, according to Harry’s incendiary memoir, Spare. His wife Meghan is expected to remain in the US with the couple’s children, Archie and Lilibet – perhaps a sign that the King’s condition is not grave.
Medical commentators were quick to point out that at the age of 75, Charles is entering the years when people are most likely to be diagnosed with cancer. More than a third of new cases in the UK every year are found in people aged 75 and over. The highest rates are in the 85-89 age group.
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The Very Reverend Dr Lorna Hood, an Extra Chaplain to the King in Scotland, said on Monday evening that the announcement had shown the king’s “humanity”.
“He’s our King, he’s a human being and these things hit us,” she told Times Radio. “Just as we’ve been saying that COVID didn’t have any borders, so cancer hits all people in all sorts of situations and all sorts of ways.”
We are told the King learned of his condition last week. Details have not been divulged, but diagnosis of the disease can involve blood tests, scans and biopsies.
While surgery is often the first step in treating some cancers, the palace statement said the King had commenced “a schedule of regular treatments”, suggesting another type of treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy.
There is a risk that by choosing to be open one moment and not the next, the palace might stoke the flames of speculation – something it said it was keen to avoid. But the King is within his rights, after all, to keep the details of his health private.
And at moments like these, we should remind ourselves: the Crown always outlasts a monarch.
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