In his first public statement after being diagnosed with cancer, King Charles expressed gratitude to his well-wishers on Saturday. The 75-year-old British monarch said,” I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” Reuters reported.
Buckingham Palace had announced on Monday that King Charles was diagnosed with a form of cancer, and would postpone some engagements to undergo treatment.
Charles said, “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
Charles expressed that it was heartening to learn how his diagnosis had contributed to raising awareness about the organisations that offer support to cancer patients in Britain and elsewhere. The cancer diagnosis news came in after the King spent three nights in a hospital last month, to undergo a corrective procedure for a benign enlarged prostate, Reuters reported.
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“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience,” BBC News quoted King Charles.
The palace has not provided any further details about his condition yet but has maintained that the king is not suffering from prostate cancer. However, it revealed that the king remains “wholly positive” and is looking forward to resuming his public duty, as soon as possible.
Queen Camilla, King Charles’s wife, said on Thursday that he was doing “extremely well.” She also said that Charles was “very touched by all the letters and messages the public have been sending from everywhere,” BBC News reported.
As he undergoes treatment and Prince William’s wife, Kate, recuperates from abdominal surgery, there is a heightened responsibility on the remaining royals, particularly William and Camilla, to represent the monarchy publicly.