Royal Health Updates: Buckingham Palace Discloses King Charles III’s Upcoming Medical Procedure

On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace announced that “King Charles III” is scheduled to undergo a procedure next week to address an enlarged prostate, a common benign condition associated with aging in men. The palace said the 75-year-old will have the procedure and then take a few days off afterward to recuperate.

The posting is a health update arising from a recent announcement by Kensington Palace that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had undergone abdominal surgery. King Charles III has faced health concerns over the years, to the effect that in 2020 and 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19.

While the actual cause of his past health woes, including an incident in which he was seen with “sausage fingers,” was never divulged, the king did have a benign growth removed after a minor operation in 2008. He also had a routine operation in 2003, during which he suffered a hernia that resulted from an injury he sustained while indulged in some garden activity. Quite an active royal in his younger days, he has fractured—first a cracked rib in 1998 and before that even broke his arm in 1990.

Celebrating his 75th birthday this month on Nov. 14, King Charles III hosted a tea dance at Highgrove with The King’s Trust, formerly The Prince’s Trust, of which he is the Founding Patron, organizing it. The charity, founded in 1976, helps young people aged between 11 and 30 with education, training, and employment, counting among its more than a million awards, according to actor Idris Elba.

He will become the oldest monarch ever projected to ascend to the throne upon his mother’s death in 2022 as King Charles III. He foresees a modern monarchy with fewer working royals, streamlined expenses, and a contemporary Britain.