King's openness on his personal medical issues has made Royal Family history

King Charles has perhaps opened up more than any other member of the Royal Family in history about personal medical details - we’re told it’s to raise awareness and understanding about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment advances.

The late Queen did issue a public health message, encouraging uptake of the Covid-19 vaccinations during the pandemic, and said her own experience of the jab “was very quick” and “it didn’t hurt at all.”

Apart from during a public health emergency, however, Her Late Majesty’s medical details remained strictly private.

The Princess of Wales, who announced in January that she was in remission from cancer, chose above all else to prioritise the welfare of her children - making sure they were safe and protected from the public spotlight before announcing her own cancer diagnosis in March 2024.

As King, there is a greater and more justified public interest in Charles’s health and well-being, compared to his daughter-in-law.

I understand the King wanted to share tonight’s message to encourage greater uptake of the nine million missed opportunities among those eligible for existing breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programmes.

To be clear, there is nothing to suggest His Majesty has been diagnosed with bowel cancer; royal sources decline to disclose specifics.

I’m told Buckingham Palace consulted with the UK Government ahead of his broadcast tonight, and ministers are grateful to the King for adding his support to addressing “an important public health concern”.

Despite all this talk of support and appreciation, there’s no getting away from the fact that the NHS is struggling.

An aggressive flu variant and imminent resident doctors’ strikes threaten to stretch public health resources even further.

I understand the King’s broadcast was recorded inside Clarence House before fresh industrial action was announced.

Meanwhile, officials tell me cancer screenings do not impact in the short term on general hospital or critical care units.

His Majesty also chose to speak today because of Channel 4 and Cancer Research’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign, and to coincide with the launch of the new national screening checker.

While it is too early to tell whether His Majesty’s announcement this evening will have a measurable impact on an uptake in cancer screenings, King Charles’s decision to announce he was being treated for an enlarged prostate in 2024 did lead to a significant surge in website traffic to the NHS website, suggesting British citizens wanted to find out more about the condition.

As for His Majesty’s own condition, I think we can allow ourselves a moment of cautious optimism.

To be clear, King Charles still lives with cancer and is not “cured”, but a reduction in his treatment schedule is certainly a step in the right direction.