King Charles gave a personal update on his cancer diagnosis and recovery in a rare TV broadcast.
The monarch, 77, publicly announced his diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024, and he has been receiving treatment ever since.
And, in a broadcast on Friday, December 12, at 8pm GMT (Saturday, December 13, 7am AEST), Charles confirmed his treatment will be reduced in the New Year.
“Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctor’s orders,’ my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year,” he shared.
He went on to admit he was “troubled” to learn that nine million people in the UK are not up to date with cancer screenings.
“That is at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed,” he said.
“Too often, I am told, people avoid screening because they imagine it may be frightening, embarrassing or uncomfortable.”
“If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part.
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told either they don’t need further tests or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”
His video message aired during Stand Up To Cancer 2025, a charity campaign run by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, and was recorded at Clarence House during the last week of November.
It is a rare move away from royal tradition to offer a personal, televised message on a private health matter, but Charles has been relatively open about his own diagnosis in a bid to raise public awareness.
Buckingham Palace has chosen not to disclose what type of cancer Charles was diagnosed with.
What has King Charles said about his cancer diagnosis?
In September 2025, Charles made a rare comment about his own health while opening the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham.
While speaking to cancer patient Matthew Shinda, Charles candidly said, “I’m not too bad” when asked about his recovery.
He also made a lighthearted joke about ageing while visiting one of the hospital’s acute elderly care wards.
Patient Jacqueline Page, 85, told the King she was “wearing out”, prompting him to reply: “I know, this is the terrible thing, as I am discovering already.”
“The bits don’t work so well when you get past 70,” he joked.
In June 2025, a royal aide close to King Charles also revealed how the monarch was “managing” his health.
Speaking with People, the source confirmed that despite his busy roster of engagements and royal tours, Charles’ health remained steadfast.
“The thing you learn about this illness is that you just manage it, and that’s what he does,” the aide shared with the publication.
“Medical science has made incredible advances, and I genuinely see no difference in him.”
“As long as you just do what the doctors say, just live your life as normally as possible. That’s exactly what he is doing.”
The comments come shortly after the King provided an unexpected update in May to a concerned member of the public asking about his health and ongoing treatment.
The monarch made the admission during a visit to Bradford with Queen Camilla. According to the Palace, the couple visited to celebrate the city’s people and heritage and to mark the start of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture initiative.
According to PA Media, the monarch met with Florist Safeena Khan during a visit to Impact Hub Yorkshire, where she asked him about his health.
The publication wrote that he asked how she was doing, and she returned the favour, and said he gave her the ‘thumbs up’. The outlet also reported that she said he told her, “I’d like to think I’m on the better side [of my cancer journey]”.
It is not the first time the King has openly commented on his cancer battle.
Earlier in May, he shed light on the lessons he has learned during his diagnosis at a reception he hosted alongside his wife Queen Camilla, to honour cancer charities.
Thanking those in attendance who had made a difference to cancer patients and their loved ones across the United Kingdom, he reflected upon his own experience being a cancer “statistic.”
“I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity,” he shared with attendees.
While his journey was difficult, the royal said it had given him a greater appreciation for the work done by the different organisations and volunteers in front of him.
“And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits – that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion,” he confessed candidly.
The monarch said the guests had his “whole family’s deepest admiration and gratitude, and “moments of kinship” were crucial.
“What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection – whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the handholding by a hospice volunteer, or the shared experience in a support group,” he added.
What has Queen Camilla said about King Charles’ health?
Queen Camilla recently spoke about what kept King Charles motivated during his cancer treatment and recovery.
Speaking to UK journalists while the couple went on their state visit to Italy in April, she said he “wants to do more and more” and he was driven by “helping others”.
“I think he loves his work and it keeps him going,” Camilla said at the time. “And I think it’s wonderful, you know, if you’ve been ill and you are recovering, you’re getting better, and now he wants to do more and more and more. That’s the problem. That’s what he’s driven by. Helping others.”
The rare comments came only weeks after Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles was “briefly” hospitalised in late March due to the “side effects” of his cancer treatment.
The 76-year-old was due to hold several royal engagements in Birmingham on March 27th, however, after a secret visit to the hospital, he cancelled the appearances in order to focus on his ongoing recovery.
The official statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: “Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital. His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed.”
“His Majesty has now returned to Clarence as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice. Tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled. His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
Who has treated King Charles amid his cancer diagnosis?
King Charles has kept many details of his ongoing cancer treatment private, and that includes the name of the physician treating him.
However, the monarch, who revealed his diagnosis last February, revealed the names of his treating doctors in the King’s 2025 Honours List.
The full list included more than 1,200 people across politics, sports and community service.
The monarch’s personal GP, Dr Douglas Glass, and his consultant physician, Professor Richard Leach, were both awarded with levels of the Royal Victorian Order.
Dr Glass was also the late Queen Elizabeth’s physician and was the last to treat the Queen before she passed.
Professor Leach is a consultant physician at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London, where many of the Royal Family are treated.
In his 2024 Christmas speech, King Charles also thanked members of the medical profession, saying:
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
“I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
Is King Charles continuing with public engagements?
King Charles has maintained a busy schedule of royal engagements ever since his diagnosis in February 2024.
Charles also had to cancel a series of public engagements in March 2025 after he was briefly hospitalised.
Just months after his diagnosis, Charles and Camilla completed a successful tour of Australia and Samoa in October 2024.
The monarch then travelled to Italy in April 2025, where they marked their 20th wedding anniversary.
While their initial meeting with the Pope was postponed due to his health, the monarchs also met him at his home in Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis has since passed away.
In late 2024, Buckingham Palace also confirmed that the King would partake in regular international travel in 2025 as he adapted to living with cancer.
A spokesperson for His Majesty revealed at the time that the monarch would travel abroad during spring and autumn for several official royal visits, provided his medical team gave the go-ahead.
“We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high point for us, knowing that we can think in those terms,” Buckingham Palace said.
While the announcement didn’t give any updates regarding the King’s health status, the spokesperson did reveal that the King “genuinely thrived” on his first international tour since being diagnosed with cancer, and that meeting with members of the public lifted “his spirits, his mood, and his recovery.”
“In that sense, the tour, despite its demands, has been the perfect tonic,” they also shared, adding that the Queen’s presence in particular had given him strength.
During their whirlwind visit to Australia, the King and Queen attended scores of engagements in both Sydney and Canberra, greeting thousands of well-wishers in the process, something Buckingham Palace said made His Majesty “incredibly happy.”
“I think it’s a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far. He was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so,” the spokesperson added at the time.
While the type of cancer King Charles has been diagnosed with is yet to be revealed, he has been receiving treatment as an outpatient since going public with his diagnosis in February 2024.
After postponing all his front-facing duties until late April that same year, he then continued business as usual, attending several key events on the royal calendar, including Trooping the Colour.
When did King Charles reveal his cancer diagnosis?
Shortly after revealing to the world he was battling cancer, the King released a heartfelt statement to the millions who had sent him their well wishes.
King Charles’ first statement following his cancer diagnosis expressed his “most heartfelt thanks” for the well wishes he had received.
“As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement,” he shared in a statement at the time.
“It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and [the] wider world.
“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Before this, Queen Camilla had shared an unexpected update on her husband, King Charles III, just days after Buckingham Palace revealed the monarch had been diagnosed with cancer on February 6, 2024.
Speaking at an event in Salisbury on February 8, she said the King had been doing “extremely well under the circumstances.”
“He’s very touched by the letters and the messages the public have been sending from everywhere – that’s very cheering.”
In the statement from Buckingham Palace that first confirmed his cancer diagnosis, it was revealed that Charles remained “wholly positive about his treatment” and was eagerly awaiting the day he could return to “full public duty.”
“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.
“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure.”
When the head of state is unable to carry out official duties, the “counsellors of state” can be appointed to stand in. Currently, this includes The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, The Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
