King Charles to give recovery update in cancer campaign video message

The King has recorded a video message in support of the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, which is thought to include an update on his own recovery journey.

King Charles’s pre-recorded message, which will stress the importance of cancer screening programmes to help early diagnosis, will be broadcast as part of the joint campaign by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

Recorded during the last week of November in Clarence House’s morning room, the King’s message will be broadcast on Friday at 8pm.

There has not been an official update regarding the King’s health for some time, but in May, during a brief discussion with a well-wisher, he said, “I’d like to think I’m on the better side (of my cancer journey).”

The King’s cancer diagnosis was announced on February 6 last year.

The previous month, Charles spent three nights in the hospital for a procedure on an enlarged prostate, during which time his cancer, not prostate cancer, was discovered.

The exact disease has not been disclosed.

After his cancer diagnosis was announced, the King postponed all public-facing engagements but continued with his duties as head of state behind palace walls, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings.

Charles marked his return to public royal events in April that year by visiting University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London with the Queen and spoke of his “shock” at being diagnosed when he chatted to a fellow cancer patient.

He sympathised with Lesley Woodbridge as she underwent chemotherapy alongside many others in a day unit, telling her, “It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?”

The King has been receiving his cancer treatment as an outpatient since early February 2024, believed to be weekly sessions at the London Clinic.

Charles stepped up his workload at the start of the year following positive progress with his cancer care, and that has continued, despite what a source described at the time as a “minor bump” after he spent a short stay in hospital after experiencing temporary cancer treatment side effects in March.