Opinion: How much personal health information does King Charles owe the public?
On Feb. 5, Buckingham Palace shared the news that King Charles had started treatment for cancer. Although the official statement did not include the particular type of cancer, it closed by noting that, “His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.” Indeed, news of King Charles’ initial prostate procedure in January 2024 sparked an immediate and significant increase in traffic for the National Health Service prostate enlargement page.
After releasing the statement about his cancer diagnosis, the official Royal Family account on X (formerly known as Twitter) issued dual social media posts with the U.K. organizations Macmillan Cancer Support and Maggie’s Centres, encouraging both early detection as well as social support of those with cancer.
