King Charles has announced that, following an early diagnosis and successful treatment, doctors will reduce the frequency of his cancer therapy in the new year. In a recorded message shown on Channel 4 during the Stand Up To Cancer broadcast, the 77-year-old monarch said he could ‘share the good news’ that his treatment schedule can be scaled back thanks to timely intervention and following medical advice. The recording was made at Clarence House about two weeks before broadcast.
Buckingham Palace said the King has ‘responded exceptionally well to treatment’ and that his recovery has reached a very positive stage. Medical teams will move his care into a precautionary phase and substantially lower the intensity and frequency of treatment. He is not described as being in remission or cured, and monitoring and some treatment will continue.
The message formed part of a Channel 4 fundraising project run with Cancer Research UK that aimed to promote screening and early detection. The King used his appearance to urge people to attend recommended checks, saying that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming but early detection can transform treatment journeys and give vital time to clinicians. He warned that ‘your life, or the life of someone you love, may depend upon it’ and urged people to use screening-checker tools to see if they are eligible for breast, bowel and cervical tests.
He paid tribute to the many professionals and volunteers involved in cancer care, describing the support around patients as a ‘community of care’ made up of specialists, nurses, researchers and helpers who work tirelessly to save and improve lives.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the announcement a powerful message and said the country would welcome news that the King’s treatment will be reduced. The King has made relatively few public comments about his illness but has continued official duties, including overseas travel and hosting state visitors, and he attended an Advent service at Westminster Abbey this week.
The Stand Up To Cancer show, presented by celebrities including Davina McCall, Adam Hills and Clare Balding, aimed to demystify screening and encourage people not to be afraid of checks. Cancer Research UK estimates about nine million people in the UK are not up to date with NHS screening programmes. The broadcast included live links to cancer clinics at Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth hospitals to show what screening involves; McCall, who recently had breast cancer surgery, said the aim was to take the fear out of checks and show people they are not alone.
The programme noted that when bowel cancer is detected at its earliest stage, around nine in 10 people live at least five years, but that survival drops sharply when the disease is found late. Royal aides emphasised the King’s mention of bowel cancer was intended to highlight screening data and should not be taken as an indication of his own diagnosis; prostate cancer has previously been ruled out.
Currently NHS screening programmes cover bowel, breast and cervical cancer for certain age groups, and a lung screening programme is being rolled out for high-risk people aged 55 to 74 with a history of smoking. There is no national prostate screening programme, though men can discuss checks with their doctors.
Stand Up To Cancer has raised £113 million since 2012 and funds a portfolio of clinical trials; organisers say their work supports dozens of trials and thousands of patients. Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said public figures speaking openly about cancer can encourage others to get checked, adding that spotting cancer early provides the best chance of successful treatment.