Royal family
Surgeries and cancer diagnoses: It all started with Catherine’s admission to the hospital
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The British royal family has been in the focus of international media for weeks after one piece of bad news about the family follows the next. It all started with worrying news about Catherine, Princess of Wales. A look back at the events of the past few weeks…
The British royal family has always been known for its resilience; illnesses among family members rarely become public knowledge. The news of the past few weeks is all the more cause for concern: Not only do people have to forego public appearances by Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, for health reasons, King Charles, 75, is also causing a stir with his recently published cancer diagnosis. The worrying news from Buckingham Palace is piling up. At the same time, they cause astonishment at the openness with which the family has recently been dealing with private details.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be hospitalized on January 16, 2024
The odyssey begins on January 16, 2024, when the Princess of Wales is secretly admitted to the London Clinic. On Wednesday, January 17th, Kensington Palace announced that the mother of three was undergoing abdominal surgery and was expected to remain in the private hospital for ten to 14 days. Prince William’s wife, 41, is not expected to resume public duties until after Easter. The palace does not disclose what type of procedure it is, but denies rumors that the Princess of Wales is suffering from cancer.
On January 17, the palace announced King Charles’ prostate surgery
On the same day, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that King Charles would also be treated at the clinic for benign prostate enlargement. During a visit to the Aberdeen Art Gallery on January 18th, Queen Camilla, 76, said that her loved one was doing well and was looking forward to “getting back to work.”
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Sarah Ferguson is suffering from cancer again
The next bad news from the royal family is not long in coming: Sarah Ferguson, 64, made her breast cancer public last summer. After a successful mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife now has to accept the next setback at the end of January: as announced on January 21st, she has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
King Charles will have surgery on January 26th
With Queen Camilla at his side, Charles is taken to the London Clinic for his procedure, where Kate is still recovering. Three days later, on January 29th, he was able to leave the clinic again. In a good mood, he waves to the waiting press as he gets into his car. His daughter-in-law is also released on the same day, but chooses a back entrance to do so.
The palace made King Charles’ cancer public on February 5th
The stress of the past few days was not visible on the monarch’s face when he attended a church service in Sandringham with Camilla on Sunday, February 4th and waved to onlookers. A day later, however, the palace published a message that not only worried the British people. In a statement issued at 6pm on Monday, February 5, it will be announced that Charles has a form of cancer – but not prostate cancer – and has begun outpatient treatment. He will initially not carry out any public tasks, but will only continue to run state affairs behind the scenes.
Sources used: twitter.com, instagram.com, royal.uk, dailymail.co.uk