King Charles III's full health history amid cancer diagnosis
On Monday, Buckingham Palace revealed that 75-year-old King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. However, palace officials have not revealed the type or severity of the disease. This news comes shortly after the king's recent hospitalization for an enlarged prostate, which is unrelated to his cancer diagnosis. Throughout his life, King Charles has experienced various health challenges. Here, we take a look at his health history.
Prostate treatment and public health advocacy
Although he will pause his public events due to the diagnosis, the British king will continue with his constitutional role as the head of state. Previously, he went public about his prostate treatment to encourage more men to get prostate checks. In the past, the king has joked about the downside of aging. In 2018, he told a Brisbane crowd: "I don't know about you but now bits of me keep falling off at regular intervals."
When he contracted COVID-19 twice, despite being vaccinated
Despite being triple-vaccinated, King Charles contracted COVID-19 twice but experienced only mild symptoms each time. During the early days of the pandemic in March 2020, he stayed isolated at Birkhall in Scotland before vaccines were available. Later, he described the isolation from friends and family during lockdown as a "strange, frustrating, and often distressing" experience. He caught the virus again in February 2022 but recovered rapidly.
Multiple sports injuries from polo and hunting
As an avid polo player, the king has sustained numerous injuries. In 1980, he required six stitches on his cheek after being thrown and kicked by his pony during a polo match. He underwent several surgeries in the 1990s for a broken right arm and injured left knee from polo accidents. Additionally, he suffered hunting mishaps, breaking a rib in 1998 and fracturing a shoulder bone in 2001. He retired from polo in 2005 after over 40 years of participation.
When he narrowly escaped death
The king also experienced other sporting accidents. In 1988, while skiing off-piste at Klosters on one of Europe's most dangerous runs, he narrowly escaped an avalanche that claimed the life of his friend Major Hugh Lindsay—a former equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. Charles managed to jump out of the way to reach a ledge and assisted in saving the life of another friend, Patti Palmer-Tomkinson. He later recalled the horror, stating that he had "never seen anything so terrifying."
'Sausage fingers' speculation and other minor treatments
There has been speculation about King Charles's swollen "sausage fingers," with theories ranging from fluid build-up to arthritis. The cause of this condition has remained undisclosed but the king has humorously mentioned his fingers on multiple occasions, such as in a BBC documentary about his coronation. He has also undergone minor medical procedures, including the removal of a non-cancerous growth from his nose in 2008 and a hernia operation in 2003.
