King Charles III, Battling Cancer, Stresses Importance of Early Screening

Positive Results Allow for Reduced Treatment Schedule
No Mention of Full Recovery

King Charles III of the United Kingdom, who was diagnosed with cancer early last year, delivered news of his improved health through a televised message and emphasized the importance of early cancer detection.

According to the New York Times (NYT), BBC, and other outlets on the 12th (local time), a video message from King Charles was broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 that evening as part of the "Stand Up To Cancer" program, which was produced to raise awareness about cancer.

The appearance of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, revealed on the 12th. Photo by Yonhap News

In the message, King Charles said, "Today, I am able to share good news with you," adding, "Thanks to early diagnosis, effective treatment, and following my doctors' instructions, I will be able to reduce my cancer treatment schedule in the new year." He continued, "This outcome is a great personal blessing and is proof of the remarkable progress made in cancer treatment in recent years." The video message was recorded at Clarence House two weeks ago as part of a fundraising project conducted in cooperation with Cancer Research UK.

King Charles, who is 77 years old this year, announced that he was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024 but did not disclose the type of cancer. His cancer was discovered during surgery for an enlarged prostate at that time.

The NYT noted that King Charles did not state that his cancer was medically cured or that he had decided to stop treatment completely. Based on his remarks, it appears that his doctors are managing the disease effectively.

In his video message, he said, "From what I understand, many people avoid screenings because they think it will be frightening, embarrassing, or uncomfortable," and added, "However, when people eventually accept the recommendation to get screened, they often say they are glad they did." He continued, "For example, if bowel cancer is detected at the earliest stage, about 9 out of 10 people survive at least five years, but if diagnosed late, that drops to about 1 in 10."

Buckingham Palace stated that the King's treatment has been very successful and that his care has now entered a "monitoring phase," allowing his schedule to be significantly reduced. However, no information was released about the nature of the treatment or the expected duration of ongoing care. Both King Charles and his eldest daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales Catherine, have been battling cancer since being diagnosed last year.