King to reduce cancer treatment in positive signs for royal recovery
King Charles has confirmed his cancer treatment is set to be reduced in the New Year as he continues his road to recovery.
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In a rare update on his battle with cancer, the Monarch called on Brits to make sure they get checked for the illness as early as possible, as he hailed the work of nurses and doctors across the NHS.
Charles' cancer diagnosis was announced on February 6 last year and he postponed all public-facing engagements for a period.
Speaking as part of a joint broadcast by Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK, the King said: “Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders’, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year.
“This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the fifty per cent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”
The King stressed the importance of getting checked for cancer, even if it inconvenient or embarrassing.
“Too often, I am told, people avoid screening because they imagine it may be frightening, embarrassing or uncomfortable,” he said.
“If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part.
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told either they don’t need further tests, or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”
Stressing the importance of early diagnosis and prevention, he added: “I have also learned something that troubles me deeply – at least nine million people in our country are not up to date with the cancer screenings available to them.
“That is at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed.
“The statistics speak with stark clarity. To take just one example: When bowel cancer is caught at the earliest stage, around nine in ten people survive for at least five years. When diagnosed late, that falls to just one in ten. Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.
“Now, I have heard this message repeatedly during my visits to cancer centres across the country. I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment.”
Hailing the work of doctors and nurses across the country, the King praised the "community of care" that surrounds every cancer patient.
Signing off this rare message, the King said: “As I have observed before, the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.
“But compassion must be paired with action.
“This December, as we gather to reflect on the year past, I pray that we can each pledge, as part of our resolutions for the year ahead, to play our part in helping to catch cancer early.
“Your life - or the life of someone you love - may depend upon it.
“Therefore, this brings my most heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, researchers and charity workers involved in diagnosis and treatment programmes, together with my particular good wishes to those for whom they care so selflessly.”
After his cancer diagnosis was announced the King postponed all public-facing engagements but continued with his duties as head of state behind palace walls, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings.
Charles marked his return to public royal events in April that year by visiting University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London with the Queen and spoke of his "shock" at being diagnosed when he chatted to a fellow cancer patient.
The King’s message was broadcast alongside a live show hosted by TV presenter Davina McCall, who herself is suffering from breast cancer.
The King has been receiving his cancer treatment as an outpatient since early February 2024, believed to be weekly sessions at the London Clinic.
Charles stepped up his workload at the start of the year following positive progress with his cancer care and that has continued, despite what a source described at the time as a "minor bump" of spending a short stay in hospital after experiencing temporary cancer treatment side effects in March.