LONDON — Britain’s King Charles III is being treated for an enlarged prostate and will go to the hospital next week, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.
The announcement that the monarch would undergo a “corrective procedure” came shortly after Kensington Palace reported that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had been hospitalized for abdominal surgery.
Buckingham Palace noted that the king’s condition is benign, but added that his public engagement will be postponed “for a short period of recuperation.”
“His Majesty was keen to share the details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with public health advice,” the statement said.
The written statement provided a link to information from Britain’s National Health Service about benign prostate enlargement, advising that the condition can affect how a man urinates. The NHS noted an enlarge prostate is “common in men aged over 50. It’s not a cancer and it’s not usually a serious threat to health.”
Buckingham Palace was aware that two news events regarding royal health was extraordinary and advised reporters, “in anticipation of questions on why this announcement has also been made today,” that the king had a series of meetings and events planned for later this week at his Dumfries House estate in Scotland, “which are now being postponed on Doctor’s advice.”
Foreign dignitaries and members of the government were due to travel “and so we needed to make people aware of the situation.”
In closing the note to reporters, the palace wrote, “apologies, appreciate this makes it a very busy day for you all.”
In Britain, men over 50 are not routinely screened for prostate cancer by checking their prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, levels, as is common in the United States. The NHS has concluded that the PSA tests produce too many false positives and unneeded biopsies and surgery. Instead, the NHS relies on physical exams and if indicated, an MRI.
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