LONDON – King Charles III’s decision to be open about his cancer diagnosis has helped the new monarch connect with the people of Britain and strengthen the monarchy in the year since his stunning coronation at Westminster Abbey.
Charles used his illness to highlight the need for early diagnosis and treatment, showing leadership at a time of personal hardship. And in the process, people began to see him as a more flesh-and-blood character, who faces the same challenges they do, and not just as an archetype of wealth and privilege.
“Ultimately, the great leveler is health,” said Anna Whitelock, professor of the history of monarchy at City University in London. “And the fact is that the royal family, like so many other families, is dealing with a cancer diagnosis. And I think that… took the energy away from the big challenges for the king.”
Questions still remain. Can a 1,000-year-old inherited monarchy represent the people of modern Britain? How will the institution address concerns about its links to empire and slavery? Should the monarchy be replaced by an elected head of state?
But, at least for now, those questions have largely been put aside as the 75-year-old king undergoes treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
Of all the things experts expected the royal family to face in the year following Charles’ coronation, the events of the past five months have taken Britain by surprise.
First, Charles was treated for an enlarged prostate and then revealed his cancer diagnosis. This was quickly followed by the announcement that Prince William’s wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, also had cancer.
Both retired from public roles to focus on health. William did the same to be able to support his wife and the couple’s three young children.
It was not just the septuagenarian monarch who was ill, but the much younger future queen. Your spouse needed to help. Suddenly the royal family seemed much more vulnerable, more human.
With three royals out of action, the Windsors were on edge as they tried to keep up with the perpetual whirlwind of ceremonial appearances, award presentations and ribbon cuttings that make up the life of a modern royal.
Into the breach stepped, of all people, Queen Camilla.
Once seen as the scourge of the House of Windsor due to her role in the dissolution of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana, Camilla has emerged as one of the monarchy’s most prominent emissaries. Increasing her appearance schedule, the Queen has played a crucial role in keeping the royal family in the public eye.
Everywhere she went, royal fans offered get-well cards and words of encouragement to Charles and Kate.
In many ways, the story of Charles’ first year since his coronation is about Camilla’s rise and her effectiveness in representing the king, Whitelock said.
“The crowds that came to her were truly remarkable,” she said. “So I think this first year was the reign of Charles and Camilla in a way that we never would have imagined.”
Together, they helped create a year of stability for the monarchy, despite some critics’ predictions that the death of Queen Elizabeth II would usher in an era of change.
That’s not to say Charles is free from problems, many of them in his own family.
The king’s relationship with his youngest son was strained even before Prince Harry and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to California in 2020. But the publication early last year of Harry’s bombshell memoir, “ Spare,” deepened the divide with allegations about the royal family’s unwitting racism and sweetheart deals with the tabloid press.
And then there’s Charles’ brother, Prince Andrew, whose links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to cause headaches for the king. Last month, Netflix released a feature-length film about the disastrous 2019 interview in which Andrew tried to justify his relationship with Epstein.
But over the past year, Charles has worked to increase openness about the workings of the monarchy, continued to speak out about environmental issues and promoted interfaith dialogue, said George Gross, a royal historian at King’s College London.
Then came the king’s decision to publicize his health problems to demonstrate the benefits of early intervention in a country where cancer survival rates lag behind those of many other wealthy nations.
“Out of adversity, he managed to turn the situation around. It’s wrong to say he took advantage of this, because it’s a disastrous situation and anyone diagnosed with cancer will be very concerned, very concerned,” Gross said. “But this is how, as head of state, he managed to do good with a very simple message, and I think that is an extraordinary thing.”
Charles underscored his message last week when he began his return to public duty with a visit to a cancer treatment center.
Visiting University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Center in central London, the king sat with Lesley Woodbridge, a 63-year-old cancer patient, and held her hand as chemotherapy drugs slowly dripped into her arm.
“It’s always a bit shocking, isn’t it, when they tell you?” he said, adding: “I have to have my treatment this afternoon too.”
It’s the kind of personal connection that Brits don’t usually expect from royals, who are known more for reserve than emotion.
After the king announced his diagnosis, Cancer Research UK saw a 33% increase in visits to its website as people searched for information about the signs of cancer, said Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s chief executive.
This may have saved lives. And it connected the people to the king.
Mitchell said she was struck by how personal the King’s visit to the cancer center was.
Patients voluntarily told their cancer stories to Charles and Camilla, and the royal couple responded with intimate details of their own journey, she said.
“I observed not just empathy, but true compassion,” Mitchell said. “And overall, the atmosphere of the day was one of hope – but hope, I think, framed in the importance of research bringing about greater progress.”
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