With all the conflicting reports about King Charles’ health, one royal expert is setting the record straight on how the monarch is really doing after his cancer diagnosis.
Buckingham Palace announced the 75-year-old old monarch was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024. Less than two weeks before his diagnosis was revealed to the public, the king had undergone a routine procedure to treat an enlarged prostate. Additional diagnostic tests revealed that a “form of cancer” was present, though the palace did not reveal the exact kind. The monarch immediately began treatment, and in the months since, there has been much speculation about how his condition has progressed—with some sources even claiming that his health is “not good.”
However, royal expert Katie Nicholl is hitting back against these reports. “There have been claims in some media outlets that the king is not doing well in his cancer battle. I think the announcements out of the palace and… the king’s imminent return to public duties should stop such nonsense in it’s track, quite frankly,” Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight.
Nicholl’s comment came shortly after Buckingham Palace announced the king’s plan to ease back into his public-facing royal duties “after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis.” The palace shared the news on social media, alongside a new portrait of King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla. In the caption of the post, the palace noted that the King will mark his return to public engagements with a visit to a cancer treatment center on April 30, 2024, where he will be joined by Queen Camilla. According to Nicholl, this return to public-facing duties signals that King Charles’ health has improved.
“This all indicates that the king is responding well to treatment that he’s doing very, very well,” Nicholl said. “My sources have been telling me that the king has been responding very positively to his medical treatment, that his medical team are very pleased with his progress. I think that the news that we hear out of the palace really supports all of that, because he’s coming back to work.”
Nicholl added, “What I think we’re going to see now is the king really champion raising awareness of cancer. He’s very aware of the incredible spotlight he can bring to important causes, something he has done his whole life. He’s sending out a very clear message by making his first visit as he returns to public-facing duties, a visit to a cancer treatment center.”
Despite how pleased doctors have been with King Charles’ health and response to his treatment, Nicholl went on to explain that his return to public appearances will continue to be “scaled down.” Nevertheless, this transition marks a huge milestone for the king. “My sources say that probably the most frustrating thing for the king in all of this has been that he hasn’t been able to do the work that he’s wanted to do,” Nicholl shared, noting that he is “very, very relieved that he’s going to be able to resume that.”
These updates paint a significantly different—and more positive—picture than previous reports about King Charles’ health in recent weeks. In one report by The Daily Beast, sources claimed that the monarch was doing quite poorly since his cancer diagnosis. “Of course, he is determined to beat it and they are throwing everything at it. Everyone is staying optimistic, but he is really very unwell. More than they are letting on,” one source alleged.
The outlet also claimed that Buckingham Palace was ramping up the monarch’s funeral preparations—otherwise known as Operation Menai Bridge—in the event of his untimely death. “They are looking at every aspect of Menai Bridge,” another source told the publication. “The queen’s funeral went like clockwork and set a high bar. It’s not an emotional thing, it’s a job, one taken very seriously, and understandably no one plans to get caught out.” For now, however, we can hope King Charles’ health is well enough to avoid these plans for a long, long time.
