After waiting his entire life to serve his country as monarch, King Charles III now finds himself sidelined once again by his recent cancer diagnosis.
“He is devoted to a life of service,” British broadcaster and photographer Henena Chard told Fox News Digital. “He will be frustrated that he can’t get out and meet people as usual. He has a great skill in making every person feel special, and I’m sure he is counting the days and planning his return to this side of royal working life.”
Chard said Charles, 75, “moved seamlessly into his long-awaited role as king” following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022 at the age of 96.
She added, “King Charles passionately cares about the good of everyone. His positivity, strong beliefs, spirituality and sheer determination and vision for a successful, modern, slimmed down monarchy is a top priority. However, I’m sure he didn’t realize it would slim down naturally! He will see illness and a naturally slimmed down monarchy as a challenge, especially as it is a socially busy time in the royal calendar.”
KING CHARLES’ PRERECORDED EASTER MESSAGE CALLS ON NATION TO ‘CARE FOR EACH OTHER’ AMID CANCER BATTLE
King Charles was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year following prostate treatment. (Kirsty O’Connor – Pool/Getty Images)
Along with Prince Edward and Princess Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s “more prominent appearances” of late, Chard said she wouldn’t be surprised to see “popular” Princess Eugenie step up, as well.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if we see other popular royals happily help out when required as they have strength, duty and kindness, traits that the lovely late Queen Elizabeth II instilled in them,” she added.
Charles, whose cancer was discovered in February when he went in for a “benign prostate enlargement” procedure at the London Clinic, will attend the Easter Mattins Service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday, marking his first major event since his diagnosis.
“My feeling right now is the pressure the royal family are under because two members are having major health problems is obvious, and so I feel we need to respect this period and allow them the privacy they require,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital, referencing the Princess of Wales, who revealed last week that she has also been diagnosed with cancer following abdominal surgery in January.
Turner added, “King Charles and Princess Catherine are not robots, they are human beings who are going through very testing times and who have only one desire to gain full health and serve the country and commonwealth they both serve with the tremendous support of Prince William.”
He said other royals such as Edward and Sophie, and Princess Anne, are “stoically supporting the royal family, covering as many public engagements as possible.”
Christopher Andersen, author of “The King: The Life of Charles III,” told Fox News Digital, “Charles’s nephew, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, says Charles is incredibly frustrated being out of commission. Others close to him say the same. The king is a notorious workaholic who has spent nearly his entire adult life doing upwards of 400 official engagements every year. As a royal workhorse, he is second only to Princess Anne and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.”
Queen Camilla has stepped in for Charles on royal duties as he continues his cancer treatment. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
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Along with Edward and Anne, William and Camilla have “taken on added duties,” he noted.
“It’s not in the King’s nature to doubt himself, but one has to wonder if he now thinks it was wise to keep stonewalling [Prince] Harry, who would like nothing more than to pitch in and resume royal duties on a part-time basis,” Andersen said. “Harry could take on some of the burden now carried by Queen Camilla and William, and at the same time give the monarchy the shot in the arm it needs.”
“Charles’s nephew, Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, says Charles is incredibly frustrated being out of commission. Others close to him say the same. The king is a notorious workaholic who has spent nearly his entire adult life doing upwards of 400 official engagements every year.”
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Both King Charles and Princess Kate are relying more on their partners, Prince William and Queen Camilla, as they undergo cancer treatments. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images For Buckingham Palace)
He continued, “Like it or not, Harry has the sort of star power and youthful exuberance sadly lacking in the current crop of royal substitutes, with the obvious exception of William. It is mostly William, sadly, who stands in the way of Harry being welcomed back into the fold.
“The Prince of Wales still harbors a deep-seated resentment of his younger brother — so deep that even the current health crises surrounding Kate and the king aren’t enough to make him reconsider,” Andersen claimed.
Charles’ biographer Christopher Andersen suggested Prince Harry could step in on a part-time basis while Meghan Markle remains in California with their children. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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William simply isn’t ready to forgive Harry, Andersen said. “Meghan need not be part of the picture, and I’m sure she’d be happy remaining with Archie and Lillibet in Montecito,” he added. “Harry’s return, even if only temporary, would be an uplifting gesture of solidarity in a time of crisis — and if there ever was a time for the Windsors to rally round the royal standard, but it won’t happen.”
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they were stepping back from royal duties in 2020, and have since moved to Montecito in Southern California.
