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The King has been diagnosed with cancer and has started treatment today, Buckingham Palace has announced.

His diagnosis comes following treatment in hospital for an enlarged prostate, although the palace said he does not have prostate cancer.

The palace has not confirmed what type of cancer the 75-year-old monarch has.

Follow live: King chose to share diagnosis to ‘prevent speculation’

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King Charles statement in full

The Duke of Sussex has spoken to his father about his diagnosis and will travel to Britain to see him in the coming days, said a source close to Prince Harry.

The palace said the King personally called both Harry and the Prince of Wales – as well as his siblings the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Duke of Edinburgh – to share news of his health.

Heir to the throne Prince William is understood to be in regular contact with his father.

The monarch has begun a schedule of regular treatments and is said to be receiving expert medical care from a specialist team.

But he has been advised by doctors to postpone his public-facing duties.

Read more:
Analysis: King’s treatment a private matter – but his openness will bring focus to some vital work

Full statement from Buckingham Palace
King’s health issues over the years

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‘Serious statement from Palace’

The King travelled from Sandringham in Norfolk to London this morning to start treatment as an outpatient. He is at home in London this evening, most likely in Clarence House.

He will carry on working behind the scenes on his red boxes – his state business and official papers.

A palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty has been treated for benign prostate enlargement.

“It was during this intervention that the separate issue of concern was noted and subsequently diagnosed as a form of cancer.

“This second condition will now receive appropriate treatment.”

Yesterday, the King was photographed waving after he and the Queen attended a church service in Sandringham.

Pic: PA
King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending a Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk
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The King and Queen leave church after attending a service in Sandringham on Sunday. Pic: PA

It was his first public appearance since being discharged from the London Clinic last Monday.

The head of state underwent a procedure for an enlarged prostate, spending three nights in hospital in late January.

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A statement from Buckingham Palace said today: “During the King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.

“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure.”

A new level of openness about royal medical matters

The King looked well as he walked to church at Sandringham on Sunday which makes this announcement even more unexpected.

The palace is keen to stress he remains wholly positive about his treatment but inevitably aware that his diagnosis will cause concern.

It feels like a complete change from what we would expect from the Royal Family with a new level of openness about their medical matters.

With the Queen and Prince Philip, the amount of detail was always much more scarce.

So why the change of tack?

There is an acknowledgment that as our head of state we should know about something this serious.

But it’s clear the palace and the monarch wanted to make sure they were in control, as much possible, when it came to revealing his cancer diagnosis to the world.

A kind of deal has been done. We’ve let you in on what’s going on, now it’s time to give the King time away from the cameras for this period of treatment and recovery.

Monarch ‘remains wholly positive’

The palace said His Majesty “remains wholly positive about his treatment” and “looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible”.

The statement added that the King had chosen to “share his diagnosis to prevent speculation” and “in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer”.

News of the King’s diagnosis comes as his daughter-in-law Kate, Princess of Wales, recovers from abdominal surgery following a hospital stay of around two weeks.

Pic: AP
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Prince Harry is due to see his father in the coming days. Pic: AP

Reaction to King’s diagnosis

The King is heading into his cancer treatment as a “very fit 75-year-old” who has always been “very energetic and determined”, said Sky’s royal commentator Alastair Bruce.

“Everybody knows the impact of the word cancer,” he said, adding the monarch’s diagnosis gives it “something of a focus”.

“I think that having come down to London, we hear, to start this procedure – we know he does so with enormous enthusiasm,” he said.

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What next for the King?

The King has “thrown himself” into his role of head of state and may be “bringing light” to the issue incidentally through his own diagnosis, Bruce continued.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacted to the news of the King’s cancer diagnosis by writing on X: “Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery.

“I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also issued a get well message to the head of state.

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.

Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.

“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”

But passengers continue to feel the effects.

A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.

And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.

Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
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Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport

Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.

Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.

“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”

Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted

Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
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Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA

One passenger was on a plane when they found out.

They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.

“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”

Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.

“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”

It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.

“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.

“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”

There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.

It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.

Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”

The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.

An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

The police watchdog says it is investigating after a teenager who was tasered by an officer on a motorway was fatally hit by a car.

Logan Smith, 18, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance at about 11pm on Sunday when the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the M5 in Somerset.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway “due to the concerns of ambulance staff”.

Mr Smith got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and “entered the live lanes of the motorway”, the watchdog added.

Police were called and an officer arrived at the scene, with bodycam footage showing the officer discharging their Taser, causing the teenager to fall to the ground.

“Soon afterwards” Mr Smith was struck by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway, the IOPC said.

The watchdog said it was investigating the “actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police prior to the death of a teenager”.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident. 

“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.

“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.

“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.

“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident.

“We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”

The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.

Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.

Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre
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North Staffordshire Justice Centre

Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.

“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.

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