King Charles is a man of the people.
The monarch announced he was battling cancer back in February, but deliberately decided not to disclose which type he had been diagnosed with.
On Friday, The Times cited a source from Buckingham Palace who claimed that choice was grounded in empathy.
“The King’s decision not to reveal the type of cancer was a conscious choice to be able to reach out to the widest number of people who are experiencing the disease, rather than narrow the focus onto a particular form of cancer,” they stated.
Although Buckingham Palace did confirm earlier this year that the king, 76, does not have prostate cancer, Charles has not revealed any further details.
The lack of specificity has sparked widespread speculation and theories on social media, but the royal doesn’t feel pressured to share further information.
And, as he continues to battle cancer, the royal hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
Charles made a cheeky remark that he’s “still alive” when he asked about his health during a meeting with leaders from different faith communities at Waltham Forest Town Hall in the London neighborhood of Walthamstow on Friday.
Harvinder Rattan, a representative of the Sikh faith, asked, “Your Majesty, good morning, how are you?”
“I’m still alive, thank God,” the monarch jokingly replied.
That same day, palace sources confirmed to The Post that Charles’ “treatment has been moving in a positive direction.” The sources also noted that “as a managed condition, the treatment cycle will continue into next year.”
Sky News was the first to report the update, with the outlet having a conversation with Dame Laura Lee, the chief executive of the cancer support charity Maggie’s.
“It’s very common for treatment to be ongoing for very long periods of time, as is the treatment that the Princess of Wales went through, which is an intense period of treatment over a year, and then it comes to a point where it’s on an end, and she’s on that recovery from some of the impacts of her treatment,” she explained.
“So we’ve got immunotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy. There are all sorts of different treatment modalities. And so it’s not surprising at all,” Lee added.
The king revealed his cancer diagnosis in February and announced he had started treatment. The cancer was discovered in January after he underwent a planned procedure to treat a benign enlarged prostate.
“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” he said in a statement at the time. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
The king continued, “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 organizations [that] support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world.
“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
At the time, Charles canceled all in-person engagements and only returned to his more public royal duties in April.
In March, Charles’ daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, revealed that she had also been undergoing cancer treatment for about a month. In September, the Princess of Wales, 42, announced she had finished her chemotherapy treatment.
