RUSSELL MYERS ‘King Charles’ hospital stay is a real worry for royals – even if it’s just a blip’

King Charles is having a period of rest and recuperation this weekend following a brief admission to hospital after suffering side effects of his cancer treatment

A period of rest and recuperation is quite literally what the doctor has ordered. Having seen King Charles up close during engagements at home and abroad throughout his cancer battle, he really has maintained an extraordinary pace.

So much so, that his family have been constantly on at him to think about dialling down his efforts. But this is a man who is used to doing things his own way. To add to that, he’s very much of the view that he needs to “make up for lost time”, given an albeit very brief absence from public life last year in the immediate aftermath of his cancer diagnosis.

Buckingham Palace has urged caution in the wake of his admission to hospital yesterday, with royal sources describing the need for him to undergo observation for a few hours as “a minor bump in the road”. But the fact is this will be a worry for not only the King but the royal family and potentially the country.

The feeling of impending paralysis last year when both Charles and the Princess of Wales were within days of each other diagnosed with cancer was intense. Those inside both the Buckingham and Kensington Palace corridors of power can not deny there was a definite fear of the unknown and with so many variables on the table for two of the monarchy’s key players, it was a testing time.

As the princess has so fortunately finished her cancer treatment and been able to announce this year that she is cancer free, the King has had to carry on very much with the understanding and acceptance that he will be living with cancer for a while yet.

Each session of his weekly treatment is no doubt gruelling, even the concept of having the schedule it in each week no matter where his diary takes him across the country or indeed the world is a major consideration. It is actually extraordinary that he has only had one break this entire time to allow him to take part in a major tour to Australia and Samoa last October.

The King will have been disappointed to let people down by cancelling engagements on Thursday afternoon and a day in Birmingham to meet much valued local communities. But with a major state visit planned in less than nine days time to Italy, he will be doing everything he can to be fighting fit for the trip.

Charles’ legacy is something that he is not only acutely aware of, he is living and breathing it every day. There is a weight on his shoulders that other members of the family should share in order for him to achieve all he has set his sights on.