King Charles to Share Message About His Journey with Cancer in Stand Up To Cancer Broadcast
King Charles is due to share a message about his cancer treatment on Friday evening, appearing in a prerecorded video for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign on Channel 4. The message, filmed at Clarence House late last month, focuses on his “recovery journey” and strongly encourages people to stay up to date with cancer screening.
The King has not said much about his diagnosis since it was discovered during a procedure for an enlarged prostate early last year. The palace has kept the exact type of cancer private, but Charles has continued outpatient treatment since February 2024 and has maintained as full a schedule as possible. Despite occasional setbacks — including a brief hospital stay in March because of treatment side effects — he has travelled abroad, carried out state visits, and returned to public royal duties.
In past conversations, the King has hinted at how he’s coping. In May he told a well-wisher, “I’d like to think I’m on the better side (of my cancer journey).” During a visit to a cancer centre last year, he admitted to a patient that learning of the diagnosis had been startling, saying, “It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?”
His upcoming message is expected to echo themes he has touched on before: the importance of early detection, the heavy emotional weight a diagnosis can bring, and gratitude for the compassion of medical staff and caregivers. He has previously acknowledged the “daunting and at times frightening experience” cancer patients face and noted that “the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
Friday’s broadcast is part of the annual Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser run by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. The show, presented by Davina McCall, Adam Hills, and Clare Balding — who have each been personally affected by cancer — aims to encourage the millions of people in the UK who are overdue screening to get checked. McCall said, “I want to take the fear out of cancer screening and show everyone that they are not on their own in this.” The event will also feature live segments from cancer clinics and highlight trials supported by the campaign, which has raised more than £100 million since 2012.
