It has been made plain that King Charles is still receiving cancer treatment while carrying out his royal duties. The monarch was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, and it was announced late last year that he would continue his treatment until 2025.
The announcement of intentions for a new state visit overseas may be a sign that Charles’ medical care is doing well. But not everyone believes that things will get easier; according to one expert, the Palace is in for some difficult times.
In the past year, King Charles has experienced a lot, and his friends and family also experience this as he gets older. Two years ago, he lost his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and last year, his lifelong friend Ian Farquhar passed away in a house accident. Tragic events have now befallen King Charles once more as he mourns a loved one.
The beginning of Charles’ reign has been difficult. Prior to learning last year that he has cancer, the monarch had to devote a great deal of effort to his son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, following all of the charges and allegations they made against the Royal Family.
Charles has received cancer therapy for the last 12 months. He still hasn’t totally healed, even though he was reportedly well enough to put his therapy on hold for the state visit he and Camilla took to Australia and Samoa.
Even though it was said that Camilla opposed him telling people he had illness, King Charles decided to make the announcement quite early on. In the UK, his actions had a huge effect, as the number of people visiting websites to test themselves increased dramatically.
According to reports, Charles hoped that sharing his cancer diagnosis would benefit others, and it seems that he did. The monarch gave the nation his own personal message a week after he made the announcement.
“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” he said. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement,” Charles wrote.
Update on King Charles’ cancer treatment
He continued: “It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world. My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
It’s still unclear exactly what type of cancer King Charles was diagnosed with. But according to Sky News, the king has frequently been to London for private meetings. Charles will resume his cancer treatment in 2025, the news site revealed just before Christmas.
Moreover, sources said his treatment “has been moving in a positive direction.” Speaking to Sky, Laura Lee, chief executive of the cancer support charity Maggie’s–which Queen Camilla is president of–said it’s not rare that cancer treatment takes time.
“It’s very common for treatment to be ongoing for very long periods of time, as is the treatment that the Princess of Wales went through, which is an intense period of treatment over a year, and then it comes to a point where it’s on an end, and she’s on that recovery from some of the impacts of her treatment,” Lee told Sky News.
“So we’ve got immunotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and hormone therapy. There are all sorts of different treatment modalities. And so it’s not surprising at all.”
She continued, “What we’ve heard from our centre visitors, it’s been good that they haven’t just shone a light on one specific cancer type, but they’ve shone a light on cancer as a whole, and that there’s varying treatment and varying impacts and varying different ways of navigating the challenges that cancer bring. And I think that approach has been much more effective and positive for the cancer community. I know firsthand that everyone is so grateful to them for doing that.”
Set to travel to Italy as part of state visit
While receiving cancer treatment, Charles has taken a break from his royal responsibilities. In the meantime, he has received support from Camilla and his son, Prince William, who have accepted several commitments, some of which have been overseas. However, it has now been reported that King Charles and his wife will make a state visit to Italy in April.
In early February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles and Camilla would visit Italy and the Holy See in early April. The king and queen will meet Pope Francis to mark the celebration of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year. The couple will take on engagements in both Ravenna and Rome, where they will be “celebrating the strong bilateral relationship between Italy and the United Kingdom,” the palace said.
It will be Charles’s first international journey as king this year and his seventeenth visit to Italy. Grant Harrold, the former butler to King Charles, commended his former employer for taking his health into account and handling the state visit with caution in an interview with GB News.
“I think also he’s getting on a little bit; obviously, he’s a little bit older. I mean when his mother became Queen and she was undertaking state visits, obviously she was a lot younger. I think because of obviously his age and his recent health and everything, they’ve probably just kind of been sensible about how they plan these kinds of things. This is already his ninth visit since becoming king,” he said.
The former royal butler continued, “I just think they’re probably just planning it carefully and trying to make the most of his time while he’s overseas. With all state visits, it can be just for a couple of days or up to about a week. I’m not too sure exactly how long he’s there for. But again, these kinds of things, when they get planned, they make the most of it.”
Royal expert shares concerning pictures of King Charles
Harrold went on to remark that, in spite of the harsh treatment, he thinks King Charles is “doing really well” and is “very positive.”
“The amazing thing is that they have this resilience just to carry on. And that’s what he’s very much doing is we know he’s great. He’s a great example.”
Of course, it is a great sign that Charles is back on track despite his cancer treatment. But not everyone is really sure that everything is as good as it looks. Royal expert Daniela Elser compared a recent photograph of Charles to one shot only four years prior in an article for News.com.au. The “ordinary”-looking photo, according to her, demonstrated “the desperate situation that’s unfolding behind Palace Gates.”
She claimed that the 2020 photo, which was taken in Jerusalem, Israel, demonstrated King Charles’ “unmistakable” and “painfully hard to ignore” change in appearance.
“The King might have been all smiles at church in late January, but Buckingham Palace is today facing down a previously unheard of, never-considered royal scenario—how to keep Crown Inc. going in the time of an aging, cancer-battling monarch who is increasingly rattling around the Palace, stranded and with fewer than ever people to call on,” Elser wrote in a column for News.com.au, continuing by comparing him to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“As he ages and as he battles cancer, he has only very few working members of the royal family left he can rely on and delegate to in order to help him shoulder the load,” Elser added.
King Charles has lost two great friends in one year
Despite the extremely difficult past 12 months, Charles has maintained his optimism, but he has also experienced some really painful moments. He took the throne after the death of his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. The late queen, who presided over the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, was mourned by people all across the world.
“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” Charles said in a statement at the time.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. “
Later in a speech, he turned to his late “darling mama,” saying, “As you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you. Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.’”
Unfortunately, Charles has lost more than just his mother in recent years. His lifelong friend Ian Farquhar unexpectedly died in March 2024, and only a few months ago, information about his death was made public.
King Charles and Queen Elizabeth II were good friends with Ian Farquhar, also known as “The Captain.” He passed away at home after being stuck between his bed and a wall. Following his death, his daughter Victoria released a message detailing his passion for horses. Unfortunately, alcohol was an issue.
“He went to Eton then joined the military and went to Sandhurst, he became the queen mother’s equerry, he said he was essentially the queen mother’s bodyguard. He was a huge lover of horses and would go on hunts where there would be a dinner afterward.”
King Charles “deeply saddened” by his good friend Ian Farquhar’s passing
The statement continued, “The amount of drinking was considered normal for the activity but as time went on we thought he had a drinking problem. He would drink a litre of gin and a couple of bottles of wine in a day. He did try and stop and he would for a couple of weeks, doctors advised Ian that if he did not look after himself he would die.”
Charles has now experienced yet another heartbreak. He revealed the tragic news on Tuesday that The Aga Khan, his spiritual leader and personal friend, died in Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of 88, accompanied by his family. On royal engagements, King Charles and the Aga Khan, sometimes known as Prince Karim, are frequently photographed together. Queen Elizabeth II even hosted a luncheon in his honor to commemorate his Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
The founding patron of the King’s Trust was the late Aga Khan, who is regarded as one of the richest individuals on the planet. King Charles is “deeply saddened” by Prince Karim’s passing, according to Town & Country. He reportedly kept in private contact with the family.
His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), died peacefully in Lisbon on February 4, 2025, at the age of 88, surrounded by his family, according to a statement released by the Aga Khan Foundation.
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