The UK’s King Charles III is facing a royal health scare as he prepares to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate next week.
The 75-year-old monarch will have a “corrective procedure” at a private hospital, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.
The Palace said the King’s condition is benign and not life-threatening, but it has forced him to postpone his public engagements for a short period of recuperation.
The news comes as a double blow for the royal family, as it was also revealed that the Princess of Wales is in hospital after having abdominal surgery on Tuesday.
It is rare for medical updates about two senior royals to be released on the same day, but sources said it was unavoidable because the King had to cancel his planned trip to Scotland on Thursday.
He was due to meet foreign dignitaries and cabinet members at Holyrood Palace, but those meetings have been scrapped on medical grounds.
Sources also said the King wanted to be open about his diagnosis to raise awareness and encourage other men who may be suffering from similar symptoms to seek medical help.
“Like many men of his age, the King has been dealing with an enlarged prostate for some time,” a royal insider said.
“It is a common and non-cancerous condition that affects the urinary system. It does not increase the risk of prostate cancer, but it can cause discomfort and inconvenience.”
The NHS website says that benign prostate enlargement is common in men over 50 and affects around one in three men over that age.
It is a gland that sits just below the bladder and produces fluid that protects and nourishes sperm.
When the prostate becomes enlarged, it can press on the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body, and make it harder to pass urine or empty the bladder completely.
The condition can be treated with medication, surgery, or other less invasive methods, depending on the severity of the symptoms and the patient’s preference.
The Palace did not disclose the details of the King’s treatment, but said he will remain under the care of his doctors until he is fully recovered.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace was the second shock for royal watchers on Wednesday, as they learned that the Princess of Wales, the King’s daughter-in-law, is also in hospital.
The 42-year-old princess had abdominal surgery on Tuesday and will need up to two weeks of rest and recovery, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
The Palace did not reveal the nature of the surgery, but said it was “a planned procedure” and “not an emergency”.
The princess, who is married to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and has three children, is said to be in good spirits and grateful for the messages of support she has received.
The Duke of Cambridge is by her side at the hospital and will take over some of the princess’s duties while she recovers.
