Buckingham Palace released a statement that King Charles III was admitted to the hospital for a brief while on Thursday morning, March 27, due to “temporary side effects” from his ongoing cancer treatment.
“Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital,” the palace said on Thursday.
Later that day, following “a brief period of observation” in the hospital, the 76-year-old king returned to Clarence House.
According to a spokeswoman, this resulted in the postponement of King Charles’ afternoon engagements. “His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled,” the palace said.
Charles has kept a detailed journal since receiving his cancer diagnosis last year, and while some of the events have been shortened or altered, his endurance has been nothing short of amazing overall.
For instance, a source who saw the king last month told the Daily Beast that he appeared lively on the day they saw him, even though he had travelled hundreds of miles to Cornwall and back for a meeting with government officials, then attended a full evening performance at the Royal Ballet in a casual, private setting and stayed after the show to speak with the actors and crew.
Following the medical advice, the King has also decided to postpone his planned tour of Birmingham until Friday.
“His Majesty was due to receive Credentials from the Ambassadors of three different nations this afternoon. Tomorrow, he was due to undertake four public engagements in Birmingham and is greatly disappointed to be missing them on this occasion,” the palace said.
According to the statement, the King also apologised to “all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed” as a result of having to postpone his appointments and reschedule his diary.
Although a source characterised the adverse effects as a “most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction,” the palace did not elaborate on the specifics.
The palace originally revealed King Charles’s cancer illness in February 2024. However, the type of cancer the King has was not revealed by the palace. It disregarded any connection between the benign prostate problem treatment and the cancer diagnosis.
King Charles has been in generally good health and “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” the palace added.
The King decided to make his diagnosis public to allay rumours and to help the general public understand that cancer affects people all around the world. Even though he was still receiving cancer treatment, King Charles refused to let his condition define him.
He keeps a hectic schedule and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He seems to like meeting new people.
He recently travelled to Northern Ireland, where he attended the Commonwealth Day service, which he had missed the year before due to his cancer diagnosis, and started a playlist of his favourite songs.
Queen Camilla, however, did not go to the hospital with the King on Thursday. In north London’s Wembley, she went to a reception.
King Charles’ Cancer Diagnosis
In February 2024, King Charles received a cancer diagnosis after undergoing surgery for benign prostate enlargement. “During the King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” the palace announced in a statement at the time.
Cancer therapy would continue until the new year, according to a December Sky News article. “His treatment has been moving in a positive direction, and as a managed condition, the treatment cycle will continue into next year.,” palace sources told the newspaper.