The health of King Charles has been a topic of conversation for a while, since the King was first diagnosed with cancer in early 2024. And though Buckingham Palace hasn’t really given much in the way of details about the King’s health or his treatment, his age and the illness have made people start to plan for the future. After all, Charles, at 73, was already the oldest person to accede to the British throne when he was crowned.
But how is the King doing these days, health-wise? Well, enough to joke about his age during a recent visit to officially open the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick. According to the BBC, after a woman older than him said she was “wearing out,” King Charles responded with: “That’s the terrible thing I’m discovering. Bits don’t work so well when you get past 70.”
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Other than that, the King seemed to be in good spirits and good health, telling one patient, “I’m not too bad, thank you,” and even apologizing for the fact that his cancer kept him from coming a few months before.
He also joked with one patient about whether alcohol was allowed in the hospital. “Do they allow you a tiny dram of whisky occasionally?” he asked, telling the man, “I knew I should have brought one.” The King even claimed it was “supposed to be very good for the heart.”
All of this comes amid reports that King Charles’ cancer is incurable, but manageable. Writer and associate editor of the Daily Telegraph, Camilla Tominey, recently said. “The talk now is that he may die ‘with’ cancer, but not ‘of’ cancer following a rigorous treatment program.”
RadarOnline also reported that the King’s health has worsened recently. “He is now shuffling around with a cane – and hitting the bottle, and in particular whisky, to numb the pain and despair he feels.” The situation was even described as “a sad end for him,” with sources saying “his health has deteriorated significantly in recent months.”
This could all be the reason it feels like there’s a renewed urgency for King Charles and Prince Harry to reconcile. Prince Harry spoke about his desire for reconciliation in a BBC interview a few months ago. “I would love reconciliation with my family,” he said, adding that, “There’s no point continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
Father and son are now rumored to be having their first face-to-face meeting in over a year soon, in a move that could open the door for Harry to bury the hatchet with the rest of his family, even perhaps his brother, Prince William.
“Charles does want to meet Harry,” a royal insider told Us Weekly about the possibility of a meeting taking place. “He doesn’t want this falling-out to overshadow his legacy. But Harry has caused chaos and hurt, so it’s complicated.” Royal historian Marlene Koenig added: “If there is a meeting, it will be private and more likely to be on the king’s terms rather than Harry’s.”
If his cancer is making King Charles want to mend fences, we can’t say we don’t understand.
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