His Majesty is allowed home but is forced to cancel engagements on medical advice
The King was admitted to hospital on Thursday after experiencing adverse side effects connected to his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The monarch was discharged from the London Clinic following “a short period of observation” but has been forced to cancel a series of engagements due to take place in Birmingham on Friday.
The palace sought to play down the severity of the episode, with sources indicating that the King’s ongoing recovery path continues in a positive direction.
In a rare public statement about his health, Buckingham Palace said: “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. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed.
“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.
“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
Not uncommon
The side effects experienced by the King are understood to have been temporary and not uncommon.
While unplanned, his hospital visit was brief, and only a few adjustments have been made to his diary.
The possibility of minor changes to next week’s schedule remains on the table, but a state visit to Italy the week after next, which will take in Rome and Ravenna, is still expected to go ahead as planned.
The King travelled to and from hospital by car, and was not accompanied by the Queen, who had been conducting her own engagements in Wembley, north-west London, earlier in the day.
He was said to be in good form at home at Clarence House on Thursday evening, where he was continuing to work on state papers and make calls from his study.
A palace spokesperson said on Thursday evening: “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.
“He very much hopes that they can be rescheduled in due course and offers his deepest apologies to all those who had worked so hard to make the planned visit possible.”
Buckingham Palace announced in February last year that the King had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, following treatment for an enlarged prostate and he has undergone weekly treatment ever since.
Since returning to public-facing duties last Easter, he has ploughed on with a full programme of events, including state visits to Australia and Samoa last October.
The King had a packed public schedule this week, including a reception he attended alongside the Queen to celebrate her Reading Room charity, a reception held in honour of the media industry and a visit to a soil exhibition.
The King and Queen were this week forced to postpone a visit to the Holy See after medics advised that the Pope required an extended period of rest and recuperation, following his battle with pneumonia.
Their Majesties had been due to attend an audience with Pope Francis in a landmark show of friendship between the Anglican and Catholic Churches, widely seen as an “historic first”.
They had expected that audience to go ahead as recently as last week but have now postponed their plans based on medical advice.
Neither the Queen, nor the Prince and Princess of Wales had any public engagements scheduled for Friday.
The King is often affectionately described as a workaholic, and aides have noted that maintaining a busy schedule has been “of great benefit to his overall wellbeing”.
Since his cancer diagnosis, the Queen has repeatedly voiced frustrations that he was working too hard, joking on one engagement last year that he was getting better, or “would be if he behaved himself”.
However, palace sources have stressed that the King’s diary is developed in full consultation with his medical team at all stages to protect and prioritise his recovery.
Deep gratitude
His Majesty has expressed deep gratitude for the outpouring of public support since his diagnosis and the kind words of the many he has met during engagements.
On a visit to Northern Ireland last week, the King shared advice with fellow cancer patients, telling them: “What’s that Winston Churchill saying? Keep buggering on.”
The monarch was visiting the Pharmacy and Pharmacology Department at Ulster University when he asked people living with cancer whether they were managing to “survive the side effects alright”.
“You just have to push on, don’t you,” he said.
The palace is not expecting to provide further updates on the King’s hospital visit beyond any potential changes to his diary.
The public statement was issued following consultation with staff and medics about whether the Birmingham visit should proceed.
A spokeswoman for Sir Keir Starmer said that the Prime Minister “wishes His Majesty the King all the very best” after his hospital stay.
In December, Buckingham Palace sources revealed that the King’s cancer treatment would continue this year but was “moving in a positive direction”.
Aides insisted there had been no change to his condition and that it was simply a case of maintaining “the very encouraging status quo”.
The King was treated at The London Clinic at the same time as the Princess of Wales, his daughter-in-law, who had major abdominal surgery.
Both the King and the Princess were discharged from the hospital last year on Jan 29 – the monarch waving as he left via the front door while the Princess was spirited home unseen.
Both were said to be well, their respective treatments successful.
However, both would later learn that cancer had been found during or post-surgery.
Buckingham Palace announced on Feb 6 that the King had an undisclosed form of the disease.
He immediately began a course of regular treatment and public engagements were postponed on medical advice.
However, he remained “wholly positive” and continued working behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, the Princess retreated from the public eye as she underwent a course of “preventative chemotherapy”. She announced last September that she had completed her treatment and later revealed she was in remission.
