King Charles cancels engagements due to cancer treatment ‘bump in road’

King Charles has been forced to cancel royal engagements

King Charles has undergone treatments for cancer after he was diagnosed with the illness last year – he has now been forced to cancel royal engagements due to side effects from his treatments

The King has been forced to cancel engagements after being admitted temporarily to hospital after suffering side effects to his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said tonight. Charles, who has been undergoing weekly treatment for the disease since his diagnosis last February, was admitted for observation this morning but has since been discharged.

The monarch was forced to pull out of engagements this afternoon and completely cancel an away day in Birmingham to meet local communities tomorrow. A palace aide described the King’s hospital dash to The London Clinic in Marylebone in London – where he was previously treated for a prostate condition last January – as “a minor bump in the road” and insisted Charles’ treatment was still “very much headed in the right direction”.

King Charles revealed he had cancer last year

Royal sources said the King was not joined by the Queen during his brief stay. It is understood the side effects, of which specifics have not been disclosed, were temporary and not uncommon with many medical treatments.

A spokesman said the King was “greatly disappointed to be missing” the engagements in Birmingham and every effort would be made to reschedule at a later date.

The King has had a busy run of engagements this week including a reception for local media, a visit to a soil exhibition, and is due to make a historic state visit to Italy in just 10 days’ time.

The King returned to full time duties last April but still maintained a reduced schedule in accordance with his weekly treatment at a London hospital.

Since then he has embarked on a major tour with the Queen in October to Australia and Samoa and continued his public duties at pace this year.

Charles and Camilla have projected positivity following his diagnosis

Buckingham Palace said it envisaged the King and Queen’s planned state visit to Italy commencing on April 7 would still go ahead as planned.

The trip has already had to be reorganised after the royals were due to meet the Pope at The Vatican as part of the tour. Pope Francis was on Saturday discharged from hospital after suffering from double pneumonia and will require a period of rest and recuperation.

A statement from Buckingham Palace last said: “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. His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.

The move is understood to be a “precautionary” one

“His Majesty was due to receive Credentials from the Ambassadors of three different nations this afternoon. Tomorrow, he was due to undertake four public engagements in Birmingham and is greatly disappointed to be missing them on this occasion.

“He very much hopes that they can be rescheduled in due course and offers his deepest apologies to all those who had worked so hard to make the planned visit possible.”

A royal source said the King would be “determined” to get back to duties as soon as possible, adding: “The King has been remarkable in his attitude to tackling his condition head on and getting on with the job. He will want to get back on the horse as soon as possible.”

The King last week hinted at his treatment during a visit to Ulster University in Northern Ireland, while meeting cancer patients, saying: “What’s that Winston Churchill saying? Keep buggering on.”

The Royal Family has in the last year been rocked by a series of health ailments which has affected the central operations of the monarchy. The King and Princess of Wales were last January both admitted to The London Clinic over the same week, Charles for an operation to his prostate and Kate for an abdominal operation.

The King was diagnosed with cancer in February following secondary tests, while his daughter-in-law was also diagnosed with the disease just days later.