King Charles in hospital for prostate treatment
King Charles has been admitted for treatment for his enlarged prostate at the same hospital where the Princess of Wales is being cared for following abdominal surgery.
Charles, 75, was seen entering the private clinic in central London on Friday morning with the Queen by his side.
He took time to visit his daughter-in-law Kate, who is on the 11th day of her hospital stay after undergoing successful major surgery last week.
A palace spokesman said: “The King was admitted to hospital in London this morning for planned treatment.
“His Majesty would like to thank everyone who sent their well wishes over the past week and is pleased to hear that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”
Charles arrived back in London from Norfolk on Thursday afternoon, ready for the proceedings, having carried out a number of official duties behind the scenes: the Court Circular noted that the King received Dame Polly Courtice, director emeritus of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership , and Prof. Robert Miller, the director of the Whittle Laboratory, at Sandringham on Thursday morning.
A photo released on the royal family’s account on X on Friday showed him lighting a candle with the Queen earlier this week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Charles released a message ahead of the commemorations, describing it as “a valuable opportunity for this country’s richly diverse communities to come together and recommit to building a society free from anti-Semitism, persecution and hate”.
It is not known how long the king will spend in hospital or what the exact nature of his treatment will be.
Charles was diagnosed with the benign condition on January 17 during a stay at Birkhall in Scotland, after going for a check-up because he was experiencing symptoms.
It is believed he wanted to share the news to encourage other men to get themselves checked.
One in three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate, including having to go to the toilet more frequently and urgently, and difficulty emptying the bladder.
An enlarged prostate, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, usually does not pose a serious health threat and is not cancer. But patients may need to undergo several tests to rule out the condition to rule out the possibility that they have another disease with similar symptoms, such as prostate cancer.
Surgery is usually only recommended for moderate to severe symptoms that have not responded to medication, the NHS website says.
NHS England said the ‘enlarged prostate’ page on the NHS website was visited every five seconds on the day the King’s diagnosis was announced, with a further huge increase in visits in the days that followed.