The news released last night that King Charles had been briefly hospitalised was an unwelcome surprise. A statement from the royal communications department tersely declared that:
The public cannot expect minute-by-minute updates as to every aspect of the monarch’s condition
Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, the King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled.
The statement ended, with typically regal restraint: ‘His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.’
At first glance, this may seem like a non-story, a brief detail that hopefully will be swiftly forgotten as the monarch’s cancer treatment continues. An anonymous source was allowed to brief that the news was a ‘most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction’.
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