King Charles III, former Prince of Wales now monarch of the United Kingdom on the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace.

NBC NEWS 6 FEBRUARY 2024 - KING CHARLES' CANCER DIAGNOSIS WAS A RARE ROYAL HEALTH REVELATION BUT STILL LEFT MUCH UNSAID

The king's candor “shows us both that Charles wants to be more open but also how society has moved on,” one NBC royal commentator said. But there are several key questions left unanswered by the palace.

LONDON — Britain’s King George VI died 72 years ago Tuesday after cancer treatment so secret that it was hidden from the media, the public — and perhaps even the king himself.

On the eve of that anniversary, his grandson King Charles III broke with that tradition of royal mystery by announcing that he, too, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The king has been lauded for his openness, saying he chose to make the announcement “to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

His candor “shows us both that Charles wants to be more open but also how society has moved on,” NBC News royal commentator Daisy McAndrew said, and that “sharing your cancer, sharing your own emotions and feelings about what you’re going through, can be very helpful, not just to yourself, but to everybody else.”

However, there are several key questions left unanswered by the palace, specifically what type of cancer it is, what treatment he is receiving and what exactly is the prognosis for the septuagenarian king, who assumed the throne only 18 months ago. 

The palace has said it is not prostate cancer, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak added new detail Tuesday morning, saying in an interview with the BBC that the disease had been “caught early.”

The remaining unknowns are already fueling rampant speculation in traditional and social media — the very thing the king says he was seeking to avoid. Some doctors have suggested that his vagueness might be undermining his own message of public health awareness.

“That’s what I find a bit puzzling — it’s great that he’s said he’s got cancer, but why not be honest?” asked Dr. Karol Sikora, a leading British oncologist and former chief of the cancer program at the World Health Organization. “If I was advising him, I would say be totally honest, because people will speculate.”

Though they are fundamentally political figures, the British royals have tended to play by different rules to elected and appointed officials when it comes to disclosing health issues.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for example, has apologized to the American public and President Joe Biden for not disclosing his prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment sooner. That default expectation has not always been there for the royals, however.

Little was said during what proved to be the final weeks of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, with official statements saying only that doctors had advised her to rest before the eventual announcement of her death Sept. 8, 2022. And it was revealed in a posthumous biography by the historian William Shawcross that the Queen Mother had been treated for two different types of cancer.

It’s against this backdrop that some observers found it notable that Charles made such a swift disclosure at all. 

He had already won praise for going public with the news that he had received treatment last month for an enlarged prostate — sparking a 1,000% surge in traffic for the National Health Service’s webpage for the condition.

It was during that procedure that doctors found “a separate issue of concern,” and later tests revealed that it was “a form of cancer,” a statement from Buckingham Palace said.

The palace issued a separate briefing to the media, with both on-the-record and background details to inform its coverage.

“The striking thing is that they’ve actually announced it,” royal biographer and historian Sarah Gristwood said. “The royal tradition was always to keep any sign of ordinary human fallibility behind closed doors.”

In 1951, George VI, a heavy smoker, had his left lung removed because of what was described only as “structural abnormalities.” He was thought to have recovered but died suddenly in his sleep six months later. Gristwood and other historians say that even the king wasn’t told that it was, in fact, carcinoma — lung cancer — which, doctors have said since then, appeared to have spread to his right lung.

That scenario would be unimaginable today.

Dr. Clive Peedell, a British oncologist and political activist, said that he was “wishing King Charles all the very best” but that the palace’s statement “will not prevent speculation, it will fuel it,” in a post on X. Another person who identified as an oncologist replied that the palace wants “to avoid speculation but haven’t named the cancer…”

Sikora, who is a professor of medicine at England’s University of Buckingham, said it was “very good that the king has been honest about the fact he has cancer, because many people are very shy about it, and it breaks the taboo.” But he said that not revealing the whole truth would lead to more questions.

“What people want to know is: How serious is it?”

KATE

The announcement to the world that Catherine (or Kate, as she is better known) has cancer at just over 40, came as a shock to many, but not to those who have been warning about increasing rates of plastic and air pollution. Where, plastic as micro particles have invaded our oceans, infecting fish with carcinogenic chemicals, that we eat, having been bio-magnified in toxicity, alongside carcinogenic diesel particulates that we breathe in, especially in cities and large towns, a major cause of lung cancer. And of course, the royal family spend a lot of time in London. And probably eat a lot of fish. Other factors lead to higher incidences of cancer in under 50s, which is said to be 80% higher than in past decades.

The conclusion must be that we are slowly poisoning ourselves. The world is becoming more toxic as we abuse our positions as the only intelligent life in the Universe, on a planet that is unique. And yet here we are soiling the oceans and skies, with blinkered eyes on profits from petroleum, and squeezing the electorate for taxes, for services that are not being provided. An obvious example of which is the increasing number of potholes in British roads, where successive governments only spend 5% of our road fund licences on roads. The rest goes to pay pensions funds and armies of civil servants, MPs and council officials that are not necessary to run the country. And of course, procurement fraud.

This news came shortly after King Charles, announced that he had an enlarged prostate, and other unspecified cancer, about which he is receiving treatment. 

ROYALS GALLERY 2018

A TO Z OF ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS

Andrew Duke of York, Prince

Anne Princess Royal

Autumn Phillips

Beatrice of York, Princess

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge

Charlotte of Cambridge, Princess

Edward Earl of Wessex, Prince

Elizabeth Queen II Windsor

Eugenie of York, Princess

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall

Charles Prince of Wales
Dianna Princess of Wales

George of Cambridge, Prince

Harry Duke of Sussex

Isla Phillips

Jack Brooksbank
James Viscount Severn

Lena Elizabeth Tindall

Louis of Cambridge, Prince

Louise Windsor, Lady

Mark Captain Phillips

Meghan Duchess of Sussex

Mia Grace Tindall

Mike Tindall

Peter Phillips
Philip Duke of Edinburgh
Sarah Duchess of York

Savannah Phillips

Sophie Countess of Wessex
Timothy Laurence Vice Admiral 
William Duke of Cambridge, Prince

Zara Tindall

While there’s no direct evidence linking evil thinking or societal conflict to physical cancer, there is a possible link to unintended witchcraft, white witchcraft if you will, protecting targets from evil landlords and or local politicians, from those evil persons as an inverse function of the evil they exude in their ordinary dealings. While, in contrast, those who are the innocent victims, appear to grow more resistant to attack with every attack, as if their immune systems somehow sap the strength of those who wish them no good. The following is a short story work of fiction, for entertainment value only.

THE UNSEEN WARD: A TALE OF ACCIDENTAL ALCHEMY

Agnes Thistlewick wasn't a witch. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Potions simmered on her stove more out of habit than intention, and her muttering under her breath was usually directed at the rogue tomato that dared to roll off the counter. Yet, something strange surrounded Agnes, a shield she hadn't built and a power she didn't understand.

Lord Blackwood, the local baron, was no stranger to cruelty. He'd squeezed rents from his tenants until their pockets bled dry, evicted families on a whim, and poisoned the well of dissent with fear. But when he set his sights on Agnes' cozy cottage, a curious thing happened. Every attempt to evict her backfired spectacularly. A rainstorm flooded the eviction notice, a runaway cart flattened the bailiff's summons, and a swarm of bees chased the tax collector from Agnes' doorstep.

Meanwhile, Agnes herself seemed impervious. Each thwarted attempt left Lord Blackwood sputtering with rage, his face growing a shade paler each time. The villagers, initially skeptical, started whispering. Agnes, they said, possessed a "hedge witch's blessing," a subconscious ward woven from her unwavering spirit.

Across the rolling hills, a similar story unfolded. Mayor Grimshaw, notorious for shady land deals and silencing dissent, found himself thwarted at every turn. Petitions against his latest scheme spontaneously combusted in his office, his accusations against outspoken citizens dissolved into incoherent mumbles, and the ground inexplicably swallowed his prized attack dog whole.

The villagers, Amelia in particular, who had faced Grimshaw's wrath firsthand, started noticing a change in themselves. With every failed attempt, they felt a surge of defiance, a newfound resilience. It was as if the mayor's malice, deflected by some unseen force, somehow enriched their determination.

One blustery evening, a group of villagers huddled around Agnes' crackling hearth. The topic, as always, was the escalating oddity. Agnes, flustered by the attention, confessed her lack of magical prowess.

"It's just... I can't stand bullies," she mumbled, stirring her chamomile tea. "And when I think about them, bad things seem to happen."

A wizened old farmer named Thomas chuckled. "Maybe, lass, that's all it takes. A strong enough will, a heart full of righteousness, can weave magic without even knowing it."

The idea resonated. Perhaps Agnes wasn't a witch, but her unwavering spirit, her refusal to be cowed, had created an unintended field of protection – a force field of sheer righteousness. As negativity bounced off them, the villagers, too, were somehow strengthened.

News of the "unseen ward" spread. People started believing in themselves, their voices gaining strength. Lord Blackwood and Mayor Grimshaw, on the other hand, grew increasingly haggard. Their attempts at oppression became self-defeating spectacles, their power draining away like a deflating balloon.

In the end, it wasn't spells or potions that brought them down. It was the weight of their own malice, the villagers' unwavering resistance, and a collective belief that good, even in its most mundane form, can be a powerful weapon. Agnes Thistlewick, the accidental witch, had shown them all that the truest magic lay in the unyielding human spirit.

LINKS & REFERENCE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_royal_family

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23272491

https://www.royal.uk/royal-family