King Charles III broke royal protocol in dramatic fashion Friday morning by going into the hospital with his wife by his side.
The royals have always, until now, gone into the hospital on their own.
However, in a notable break with tradition, Charles was accompanied by Queen Camilla as he went into the London Clinic at 9 a.m.
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This is the same London hospital where Kate Middleton is convalescing following her surgery last week. The king and queen reportedly called in on Kate to wish her well after arriving.
He is expected to spend two nights in the hospital.
Charles was spotted in London on Thursday evening, having spent the week preparing for the procedure in his country home, Sandringham, where he was reportedly in good spirits.
The 75-year-old stepped back from royal duties while he awaited treatment for his benign enlarged prostate and is not expected to take part in public engagements for another week or so at least.
Over the weekend, Camilla told well-wishers the king was “fine,” but she is understood to have privately urged him to “slow down.”
The king has been highly active in the 16 months since Queen Elizabeth’s death, undertaking 516 public engagements last year, including 94 abroad.
The Daily Beast reported this week that the mood at Buckingham Palace has been “subdued,” with insiders saying the condition has come as an “unwelcome reminder” of the king’s advanced age.
However, the king’s team has insisted he will maintain the pace, with one source having told the Telegraph: “This sort of procedure is a temporary thing, and then he will be back up and running and very keen to pick up his usual pace… His work ethic is well known. He’s going to be raring to go once he’s had a short period of recuperation.”
Recent days have seen unprecedented royal medical drama: Charles’ prostate scare was revealed the same day Kensington Palace announced Princess Kate had undergone an abdominal surgery. Days later Sarah Ferguson announced she has been battling an aggressive skin cancer, her second cancer in six months.
A report in the Daily Mail, cited a source close to Sarah as saying: “This is such tragic news for Sarah as she was still dealing with wrapping her mind around her first cancer diagnosis.
“She is telling people around her that they caught it in time and her friends and family are hopeful that this is the case. But she is also a realist and knows that a second cancer diagnosis that was just discovered is not something that is going to improve her chances of survival from her previous cancer diagnosis… This has caused her to start really thinking about her life and about mortality.”
A spokesperson for Charles said: “The king was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment. His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”
