05 February 2024 , 20:48
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Today’s shock announcement from Buckingham Palace that King Charles has cancer is a highly unusual move from the Palace – so why did the Firm announce it, and why did they leave out certain details?
It is actually highly fitting for the King to share some details of his cancer diagnosis with the public. However, the Palace may have chosen to limit certain details – such as the exact kind of disease the monarch is facing – to avoid high levels of speculation as to treatment and prognosis.
In the past, King Charles has been open about his health concerns in order to use his platform and raise awareness of conditions that may be difficult to talk about. When Buckingham Palace announced that the King would undergo treatment for benign prostate enlargement, it was done in the spirit that more men would get their prostate checked - a topic that most men shy away from.
The impact of the announcement was massive, with the NHS website reporting a surge in people visiting the site's pages about prostate conditions. He was said to have been delighted to raise awareness about the issue.
King Charles' cancer diagnosis was made public today "to avoid speculation" but to also raise awareness (Getty Images)Today's announcement was made in a similar vein. At 6pm on February 5, Buckingham Palace shared a statement that said King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer that was found after his recent hospital visit - but isn't related to his prostate. While the Royal Family have historically kept a level of privacy around medical conditions ailing its members, this has changed in recent years - with senior members sharing their health problems with the public to increase understanding and raise awareness.
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For instance, during her pregnancies the Princess of Wales suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a form of extreme morning sickness, and was hospitalised in 2012 while pregnant with Prince George. She announced her second pregnancy in 2014 earlier than planned because she was having treatment for the condition.
In 2020, she told a podcast the experience was "utterly rotton." She said: "I was really sick – I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating – but yet, the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.”
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King Charles' cancer diagnosis was made public today "to avoid speculation" but to also increase public understanding and raise awareness of people suffering from cancer, and raising awareness about the issue.
It shows the dedication King Charles has to activism and raising awareness on a variety of health-related issues, a topic he isn't one to shy away from. Back in 2020, the King, back when he was Prince Charles in October 2020, said the British "are just not good at talking about health problems in the more private parts of their bodies" adding that he is certain this is causing people to die unnecessarily.
At the time, he was promoting Loud Tie Day, to encourage people to talk about bowel cancer. He spoke about his fears around bowel cancer – which he said was the "cancer we as Brits don't like to talk about".