King Charles has been praised for his candor when talking about his cancer treatment where he highlighted the importance of early detection and screening.
In a recorded video message, broadcast on Channel 4 for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, the King said his treatment was being scaled back and urged people to take up cancer screening offers, saying “early diagnosis simply saves lives”.
The type of cancer he is being treated for has not been revealed and the King, 77, will continue to receive treatment and follow-up.
Clare Garnsey, associate medical director of the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said his message was “very powerful”.
The King, who revealed his diagnosis in February last year, is neither in remission nor “cured”, but the regularity of his treatment will be significantly reduced in the new year.
In his video message, recorded at Clarence House two weeks ago, he said he was “concerned” to learn that nine million people across the UK are not up to date with the cancer screening tests available to them.
“That is, at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis are lost,” he stated.
She added: “I’m told that too often people avoid screening because they imagine it can be scary, embarrassing or uncomfortable.
“When they finally accept your invitation, they will be glad they participated.
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the peace of mind most people feel when they are told they do not need further testing or, for some, given the opportunity to enable early detection, with life-saving intervention that can follow.”
Public address mediaSpeaking to BBC Breakfast, Miss Garnsey said she, “like most health professionals working in the field of cancer”, was “really grateful” for what the King said.
“I think the message was very powerful about the importance of early diagnosis and how important it is that we all attend our screenings,” she added.
He said it is “really helpful” for health professionals when people in “positions of influence”, like the King, speak publicly about their experiences with cancer.
These messages highlight that “it can happen to anyone,” she said, and raise awareness about the potential symptoms someone may experience.
Royal biographer and friend of King Charles, Jonathan Dimbleby, said the king’s message demonstrated the “unique role of the sovereign”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said the King’s decision to speak openly about his treatment in such “warm, gentle, thoughtful and kind” terms was “quite extraordinary and has a huge impact”.
He said the King’s message will give people “great peace of mind” in knowing about someone who “has cancer and lives with that cancer.”
“It makes you recognize […] that it is not a death sentence,” he added.
Dimbleby’s father, the broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, died aged 52 in 1965.
“When he died, I was afraid to say, even beforehand, that he had cancer,” he said, adding that the word cancer was “hardly usable then.”
He said it took “guts” for the King to publicly share such a personal message, but that “the fact that he has come out and done it will save lives, and people will be less afraid to say ‘we should go and get tested’.”
Dimbleby said that when it was announced that the King would be treated for an enlarged prostate in 2024, there was a significant increase in searches on the NHS website.
“No one else could have done this,” he added.
What can be the general symptoms of cancer?
Different types of cancer all have their own symptoms, but the NHS says general symptoms can include:
- A new lump or swelling
- Sweat a lot or have a high temperature.
- Feeling more tired than usual
- Unusual bruising or bleeding
- Unusual pain in any part of the body.
- Unexpected weight loss or loss of appetite.
- Need to urinate more frequently or urgently, or pain when urinating
Read more on the NHS website.
So far the King has said little publicly about his illness.
In his video message, King Charles said he knew how “overwhelming” a diagnosis can be, but stressed that early detection is “key” to giving patients the “precious gift of hope.”
The NHS has three cancer screening programs (bowel, breast and cervical) available for certain age groups.
These tests can detect a problem even before someone experiences symptoms.
In his message, the King also urged people to use the online screening checker tool.
Cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support said it was “incredibly grateful” to the King for sharing his experience “with such openness and honesty”.
“The King’s reminder of the importance of screening and early detection is an important message for us all,” he added in a statement.
The Prime Minister said the King’s message was “powerful” and he was “glad” the King’s deal would be reduced in the new year.
According to Buckingham Palace, the king’s recovery has reached a very positive state and he has “responded exceptionally well to treatment”, to the point that doctors will now move his treatment “into a precautionary phase”.
Meanwhile, Dr Harrison Carter, head of screening for NHS England, said the health service was “fully supportive” of the King’s call for people to attend screening.
“So when your invitation for an NHS screening test arrives, whether it’s a cervical or breast cancer screening test, or a bowel cancer test kit in the post, take the time to accept it.”
