King Charles's characteristically understated response to his cancer diagnosis, revealed by Royal Editor REBECCA ENGLISH in her definitive account of his 22-month ordeal.
In February last year, shortly after the King was told he had cancer, he sat down with senior aides to share the troubling news.
Understandably, they were shocked. 'Oh, that's a right bugger', one burst out, before inwardly panicking, fearing this might have caused offence.
Instead, His Majesty's lips twitched, before he broke into laughter. 'Yes, it is a bit of a bugger, isn't it,' he chuckled.
It was an instinctive – and decidedly un-regal – reaction, but one that characterises Charles's response to his diagnosis.
Coming just 18 months after the death of his adored mother, Queen Elizabeth, after 70 largely stable years on the throne, this was the last thing either he or his country needed. Indeed – and this is quite extraordinary when you think about it – some feel cancer has been the making of Charles.
The diagnosis has humanised him in the eyes of many, enabling people to look past the more introspective tendencies he showed as Prince of Wales and see the true measure of the man.
Apart from the first few weeks of his treatment, when doctors insisted he take a step back from public engagements to minimise the risk of secondary infections, Charles has lived a very public illness.
Not only has he been more open about his condition than any British monarch in history, he has insisted on working throughout. The King has undertaken close to 600 public engagements in the past 22 months despite undergoing weekly medical treatment.
He has travelled to five different nations (including a gruelling two-week trip to Australia and Samoa, for which he courageously paused his treatment), has conducted two State visits overseas and hosted a further four.
One well-placed source tells me the biggest problem for his team throughout has been persuading the King to slow down.
'I think when he first received his diagnosis and wasn't clear which way this was going to go, it made him more determined than ever to keep going as fast as possible because there was so much more he wanted to achieve,' a source tells me.
'He was only persuaded to take a few weeks away from front-line duties because his doctors convinced him of the danger of contracting a secondary infection in those perilous early days.
'Even now that he realises it isn't going to be a race against time, he still wants to change the world.'
That's not to say the monarch hasn't experienced his share of low points. 'Anyone receiving a cancer diagnosis is floored by it and His Majesty was no different,' says a friend. 'But even in that bleakest of moments, he dealt with it in a very human way.
'His instinctive reaction when he was asked how he wanted to handle the news publicly was to be as honest with his people as he possibly could.
'He was deeply touched when it emerged that, after making his diagnoses public [first, an enlarged prostate, then cancer], the National Health Service saw a huge uptick in people seeking information and help.
'The King was keen to ensure that people could take heart from his experience – that it is now possible to live a normal life with cancer. It's been his mission to de-stigmatise the issue.'
Buckingham Palace has never revealed the exact nature of the King's cancer diagnosis.
It's in part because the release of personal medical information would result in his every public word or gesture being analysed by armchair 'Dr Googles'. The King was also advised that, by being less specific about his condition, his message would reach the widest possible audience.
Officials have also declined to discuss the nature of the treatment he has received, although I am told it has involved a 'package' of both conventional medicine and holistic care.
The King has previously been criticised for appointing a pro-homeopathy doctor, Michael Dixon, to lead the Royal Medical Household. But those close to the King are frustrated by the depiction of Dr Dixon as a quack.
They say he has worked in the NHS for half a century and deny that his views are radical. Rather, they say, Dr Dixon believes complementary treatments can prove beneficial to patients alongside conventional treatments, provided they are safe and evidence-based.
'Full credit to Michael, he's masterminded this,' remarks one source of 'Operation Delphinium', the codename given to the team handling the King's diagnosis.
'Michael has known which experts to connect with, and who should lead. He has focused on finding a balance, ensuring that alongside the conventional treatments His Majesty has received, there has been holistic care, which many cancer patients now find helpful.'
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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