King Charles III's health has been under scrutiny following a significant cancer diagnosis, which he faced shortly after his historic coronation.
New insights from a royal biography shed light on his reaction to the news and reveal that he had previously experienced a scare regarding the disease before becoming king.
According to recent updates from acclaimed royal author Robert Hardman, King Charles had a straightforward response to his cancer diagnosis, which was disclosed in February after a brief hospital stay earlier in the year.
He was initially hospitalized for an enlarged prostate procedure, but details about the specific type of cancer he has been diagnosed with remain undisclosed, except that it is not prostate cancer.
This news emerged just months after his coronation at Westminster Abbey and less than two years into his reign. Reports suggest that the King maintained a stoic demeanor upon learning about his health issue.
In his updated book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, Mr Hardman writes: "Says a senior aide: 'Cancer is a very scary word if you're a king or anyone else. It's a big shock. But he is a great one for taking things on the chin and then saying, Right. How are we going to get on with this?' He was very clear that he would carry on doing all of the constitutional stuff in exactly the way that he did before."
In addition, Mr Hardman writes that a former staff member who worked for Charles when he was Prince of Wales claims that the King had a cancer scare some years before - and due to his involvement with several cancer charities had a "deeper understanding of the disease than most".
The updated book also explores the decision to make Charles' cancer diagnosis public and claims it was an "easy decision" with a member of the King's staff saying: "Well, that's what we do these days".
They added: "When you know the King has got cancer, every cancer sufferer could feel connected to him. If we said exactly what it is, others with a different diagnosis might feel less connected. And if part of the point here is for him to be sharing his story, then it is better to be, if not all things to all people, then as many things to as many people as you can be."
