How King Charles stays fit with strict diet amid cancer diagnosis

06 February 2024 , 11:39

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Charles keeps to a strict diet to stay fit (Image: PA)

It has long been reported that King Charles follows an incredibly strict diet and a healthy lifestyle filled with outdoor pursuits that help him stay active.

On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer and has begun a "schedule of regular treatments" for the condition, which will see him skip out on "public-facing" royal duties for the time being based on the advice of his medical team.

A former member of staff - Julian Payne, who worked as Charle's press secretary for five years - previously revealed that the now-King opts for a healthy breakfast "of seasonal fruit salad and seeds with tea". The King never stops for lunch, Payne revealed, so "an early lesson I learnt when out on the road with him was to have a big breakfast or bring a few snack bars with you to keep you going."

Payne also noted that the King's working "day was pretty relentless" whilst he worked for the monarch, and this is a sentiment that both William and Harry have echoed over the years. In a 2018 documentary, Harry revealed that Charles works so late he has been known to fall asleep at his desk, and William noted he would love to have a bit more family time with his father, and that he would slow down at some point, adding: "He's the fittest man I know but equally I want him to be fit until he's 95."

At 1 pm, Payne also explained, that even if he doesn't eat lunch, Charles does stop for a daily break to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and a walk

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The first real pause in the day will be at 5pm, when the King will stop for tea, a chance for him to recharge, often with the Queen, over sandwiches and a piece of fruit cake.

If there is anything left after the cake has been passed around, it will be placed in a Tupperware box to reappear the next day and the day after that.

In 2021, Charles admitted that two days every week he strictly avoids meat and fish, and on one of those days goes fully vegan, with no dairy products either.

In a statement, the palace explained that Charles hopes that sharing his diagnosis "may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer" and it's hard to underestimate how many people cancer impacts. Few people will go through their lives without being touched by the disease - with Macmillan Cancer Support reporting that every 90 seconds someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer on average.

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Emma Mackenzie