King Charles’s cancer diagnosis: What we know so far

Published

3 months ago

February 6, 2024

admin

The King has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The palace said the condition was discovered while the monarch was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate.

Here is what we know, and don’t know, so far – and what it could mean for the other royals.

What cancer does the King have?

The palace has not specified what form of the disease the King has, but they have said it isn’t prostate cancer.

They said during the monarch’s recent procedure for a benign prostate enlargement a “separate issue of concern” was noted.

Further diagnostic tests have identified “a form of cancer”.

Details of the type of test have not been divulged but diagnostic tests for cancer can involve blood tests, scans and biopsies.

A biopsy is a medical procedure that involves taking a small sample so it can be examined under a microscope to identify whether there are abnormal cells present.

“No further details are being shared at this stage, but His Majesty is receiving expert care and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” a palace spokesperson said.

How is he being treated?

The King returned from Sandringham to London on Monday to start his treatment as an outpatient, meaning he will not have to stay in hospital.

“He remains at home in London this evening,” the palace said on Monday night.

It isn’t clear if he will be treated on the NHS or receiving private healthcare.

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

This could involve chemotherapy, a medicine used to kill cancer cells; radiotherapy, a treatment where radiation is used to kill cancer cells; or targeted drugs that find and attack cancer cells.

“His Majesty is grateful to his medical team for their expert care and swift intervention, is wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” the palace added.

How will diagnosis affect King’s work?

While the King receives treatment, it is understood he will still process state documents and hold his weekly audience with the prime minister.

However, the palace has confirmed “a number” of upcoming public engagements will be rearranged or postponed.

He has been advised by doctors to put off any public-facing plans.

“His Majesty would like to apologise to all those who may be disappointed or inconvenienced as a consequence,” the palace said, adding the Queen “will continue with a full programme of public duties”.

The monarch is also expected to remain available for meetings of the Privy Council, which usually meets monthly and is the oldest form of legislative assembly still functioning in the UK.

He approves proclamations through this body, formal notices covering issues such as the summoning of a new Parliament and the dates of certain bank holidays.

It’s understood the details around how his duties will take place are yet to be confirmed.

The King’s role in general elections will also be a focus, as Rishi Sunak has hinted he will send the country to the polls in the second half of this year.

The monarch dissolves Parliament before a general election.

What could this mean for other royals – including Prince William and Prince Harry?

It’s possible that other working members of the Royal Family could take additional duties on behalf of the King, including Prince William.

The prince is currently helping the Princess of Wales recover from her surgery, but could take on more work once he is back to full public duty.

It’s understood the King personally told all his siblings and children he has cancer, and Harry has already confirmed he will head to the UK in the coming days.

The Queen is expected to support the King throughout his treatment alongside her full programme of duties.

UK

King and Queen attend royal honours service at St Paul’s Cathedral

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

admin

King and Queen attend royal honours service at St Paul's Cathedral

The King and Queen have arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London for a service of dedication for the Order of the British Empire.

Established by King George V in 1917 to reward outstanding contributions to the war effort – it now recognises the work of people from all walks of life.

Around 2,000 people who are holders of the royal honours such as MBEs and OBEs – from the UK and Commonwealth – formed part of the congregation.

The King is the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire, and the Queen is the Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire.

It comes after the King carried out his first investiture in five months – and his first since his cancer diagnosis – at Windsor Castle yesterday.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who conducted the service for the coronation, was one of the 52 recipients of an investiture – and was given the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

Awards of the Royal Victorian Order are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the Royal Family in a personal way.

He said the King seemed in “very good spirits indeed” and was “looking very well” as they spoke during the ceremony.

The monarch, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, was given permission by his doctors to return to public duties last month.

Dean of Westminster Abbey Dr David Hoyle was among the other people honoured at the ceremony, as he was made a Knight Commander for his own role in the coronation.

He revealed there were plans for a building in the King’s honour to be built on the side of Westminster Abbey.

“We have already done the archaeology, so the site is prepared. We have plans which the King has seen. We hope we might have it built in the next two to three years,” he said.

The King has invested a handful of people with honours over the past few months.

However, these ceremonies took place in private during individual audiences at royal residences.

UK

‘If I go, I know they will detain me’: Asylum seekers consider skipping Home Office meetings over Rwanda fears

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2024

admin

'If I go, I know they will detain me': Asylum seekers consider skipping Home Office meetings over Rwanda fears

In June 2022, Kidus, 30, from Eritrea, came to the UK in a small boat with around two dozen other people.

He still has the video on his phone showing everyone – including some women and children – clinging on to the dinghy wearing identical red lifejackets.

Back then, the government had already announced plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Despite being sent a letter warning he’s being considered for removal, he’s never thought it could really happen until now.

Kidus – not his real name – says before he left France, one of the people smugglers reassured him the government wouldn’t go through with it: the Rwanda policy simply wouldn’t affect him.

But earlier this month, one of his friends from Eritrea, who was on the same boat across the Channel, was detained when attending a routine appointment with the Home Office at a site in Liverpool.

As a result, Kidus is now considering not going to his next fortnightly meeting, even though attending the appointments is a condition of his immigration bail.

“If I didn’t go there, I know they’ll drop my case,” he tells us, concerned his asylum application will be cancelled.

But he adds: “If I go I know they will detain me. So, I’m just confused what I’m going to do.”

A document drawn up by Home Office officials revealed only 2,143 of the 5,700 asylum seekers Rwanda has agreed to accept actually attend check-ins and “can be located for detention”.

If people like Kidus stop attending, they will join the remaining 3,557 migrants who are currently missing.

The shared house Kidus lives in is paid for by the Home Office – so his address makes it almost impossible to disappear. But this means he knows he could be detained at any time.

“I’m always just frightened here. So, they might come at night or day and I’m always thinking that they’ll come and they’ll take me to detention. I’m not feeling safe here,” he says.

Kidus has stopped attending college where he was learning English and carries the phone numbers of legal firms with him at all times.

He speaks to his friend on the phone – who is now being held in a detention centre near Heathrow.

Nahom, not his real name, 26, estimates he’s among around 40 asylum seekers there who’ve been told they’ll be sent to Rwanda.

“It’s like a nightmare, it’s like a prison and I don’t like it here. I’m really stressed and panicked about the situation,” Nahom tells us from the site almost 100 miles away.

He admits he has been able to meet his solicitor but says he’s feeling increasingly desperate about being faced with the prospect of being sent to Rwanda.

“They can send my body, but not me alive,” he says. “I’m just giving up.”

In west London, we meet Nura, in her 20s, whose real name is withheld and who has made the decision to keep attending meetings with the Home Office because she doesn’t want to be kicked out of her taxpayer-funded hotel.

But each time she goes to sign in she’s terrified of being detained.

“Sometimes I say ‘why me’?” she asks tearfully, looking at her “notice of intent” letter warning her she’s being considered for removal to Rwanda.

“It’s not a safe country,” she adds. “What is the difference from Eritrea? It’s the same.”

Nura says when she came to the UK by small boat, she believed women wouldn’t be sent to Rwanda. She says she wouldn’t have come if she’d known she was at risk.

Kidus says the same thing: “If I’d have known this I’d have never come here.” He added he’d have instead gone to “Belgium or France, or Germany maybe”.

Now they’re here, their only hope is they won’t be chosen for detention.

The government remains determined to get the first flights to Rwanda within weeks.

Ahead of a general election, the plan has become a clear dividing line between the Conservatives and Labour, which has vowed to scrap the scheme if it comes to power.

UK

Schools won’t be allowed to teach children that they can change their gender ID, reports say

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2024

admin

Schools won't be allowed to teach children that they can change their gender ID, reports say

Teachers in English schools will not be allowed to teach children that they can change their gender identity, according to reports.

Age limits are also set to be imposed for the first time on when children can be taught sex education.

The Times reports that education ministers will warn schools in England today that gender identity is “highly contested” and that teaching the issue could have “damaging implications”.

If asked, school staff should teach the “biological facts” about sex, the government will say, The Times adds.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has become concerned gender identity is becoming “embedded” in schools as an uncontested fact, the newspaper says.

Under other proposals, schools will be told not to teach children any form of sex education until year 5, when pupils are aged nine.

The plans will also rule out any explicit conversations about sex until the age of 13, The Times report also says.

Thirteen would also be the age threshold for pupils to be taught about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and abortion.

The new guidance is reportedly part of the government’s response to concerns children are receiving age-inappropriate relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).

Schools will reportedly be required to provide parents with samples of the material their children will be taught.

RSHE became compulsory in all English schools in September 2020.

The existing guidance outlines broad lesson modules, stating primary school children should be taught about alternative types of families and healthy relationships.

Secondary-school-aged children are taught more complex topics, including puberty, sexual relationships, consent, unsafe relationships, and online harms.

The Department for Education said it could not confirm the newspaper reports, and that it would not speculate on leaks.