Searches for ‘enlarged prostate’ soar after King Charles’ announcement
The announcement that King Charles will undergo a procedure next week to treat an enlarged prostate has led to an increase in searches for information about the condition.
The NHS website page at prostate enlargement received eleven times more visits on Wednesday than the day before, following Buckingham Palace’s announcement that the king was receiving treatment “like thousands of men every year”. One person visited the site every five seconds, or 16,410 in total, NHS England said.
The king, who is preparing for treatment at his private home in Aberdeenshire, Birkhall, has taken a break from his public duties on doctor’s advice and canceled planned gatherings at Dumfries House in Ayrshire on Thursday.
Queen Camilla continued with a solo visit to the Aberdeen Art Gallery. When asked by the city’s provost, David Cameron, how her husband was doing, she said: ‘He’s doing well, thank you very much. I’m looking forward to getting back to work.”
In addition, the Princess of Wales was visited by her husband, Prince William, on her third day in a private hospital in London after a planned abdominal operation.
The prince was seen arriving from the London Clinic in Marylebone shortly after midday on Thursday, accompanied by his security team.
Catherine, 42, is expected to spend 10 to 14 days in hospital after her operation and will not resume her public duties for several months.
Unlike the king, the nature of her condition has not been disclosed and she has requested that her “private medical information” remain confidential. However, the palace has indicated that there are no concerns about cancer.
William has also cleared his schedule indefinitely to care for his wife and their three children, who are aged between five and 10.
Although the royal family recognizes the right to medical privacy, the unexpected double announcements have been interpreted as a marker new era of openness in the royal family – in contrast to the secrecy sometimes favored during the later years of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip.
In particular, the king’s decision to make details of his proceedings public was welcomed by campaigners seeking to raise awareness. “We are grateful to the King for sharing that he will need hospital treatment for an enlarged prostate next week,” said Chiara de Biase, director of support and advocacy at the charity Prostate Cancer UK.
“Raising awareness of prostate health is really important and we are already seeing that compared to the same 24 hour period last week, the number of people completing Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker has increased by more than 97%. ”