King Charles arrives in London ahead of prostate operation as Kate’s surgery ‘surprised’ friends – Royal news

The King has arrived back in London ahead of treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Charles, 75, was seen being driven near Buckingham Palace after travelling from Sandringham in Norfolk on Thursday afternoon, The Sun reported.

The monarch has cancelled a number of engagements as he prepares to undergo a corrective procedure this week.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the union flag above monarchy HQ had been replaced with a Royal Standard, signalling the King was in residence.

The King often stays in nearby Clarence House – his preferred London home.

The Princess of Wales may currently be recovering from abdominal surgery, but that isn’t stopping her from working from her hospital bed. The claim, reported in The Times this week, was met with both praise and concern. Some lauded Kate’s apparently relentless work ethic. Others suggested it set an unhealthy precedent. Wherever you stand on the matter, it typifies a wider trend: a social tendency to work through illness… even at its most severe.

For some, the reluctance to call in sick is a result of ambient workplace pressure: an unspoken rule, disseminated through disapproving glances and examples set by colleagues. For others it’s out of necessity, a response to work insecurity and a lack of sick pay. But for many of us it is entirely self-imposed, tied to the glorification of hustle culture and a widespread “suck it up” mentality enforced by neoliberalist attitudes to work. It has transformed “the sick day” into a luxury rather than a necessity, particularly in the UK.

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A second cancer diagnosis could have left the Duchess of York reeling, but those closest to her tell Anna Tyzak that while ‘she’s the biggest softie you’ll ever meet, when it comes to her own life, she’s as tough as old boots’ – and that includes standing by those who have abandoned her

Iam 64 and just getting started,” wrote Sarah, Duchess of York, to her social media followers on New Year’s Day. Her words captioned a photograph of her swathed in emerald silk and resting on her bed – defiant and understandably so given the highs and lows of 2023.

The year when she not only was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer (her reconstructed left breast is affectionately named Derek), but also published a second bestselling novel and accompanied the Royal family on their Christmas Day Sandringham walkabout for the first time in nearly 30 years. “I have more stories to tell,” she assured her 680,000 followers.

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Princess Anne held an investiture on Wednesday as the King prepares to undergo treatment for his enlarged prostate.

Public figures including director Sir Stephen Frears and wheelchair rugby coach Tom Coyd were awarded knighthoods and MBEs at the ceremony at Windsor Castle.

With the King due to be treated in hospital this week for an enlarged prostate, and the Prince and Princess of Wales also away from their regular duties after Kate’s abdominal surgery, the Princess Royal conducted Wednesday’s investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Sir Stephen, whose film The Queen won Dame Helen Mirren an Oscar for playing Elizabeth II in 2006, put his knighthood down to “just being lucky”.

After collecting his honour for services to film and television on Wednesday, Sir Stephen said: “It is a really nice thing. I have no complaints.

“I have been very, very lucky and you still need an enormous amount of luck. I have been very, very lucky in my choice of material and the people I have worked with.”

Sir Stephen added: “It has been a nice day and now we will go have tea.”

Divorce, debt, tabloid stings and a cancer diagnosis – Sarah Ferguson’s royal ride has been anything but smooth. But she opens up to Guy Walters about happiness, helping people and the things that have helped her through the toughest of times

As ever, it takes a child to ask the most pertinent question, the one that really cuts to the chase. In December 2023, it came from a young boy called Toby at the Holy Trinity Primary School in Burnley.

“How did you feel when you married into the royal family?”

It’s not a question many of us get the chance to ask, but it is perhaps one that Toby’s respondent has answered before.

“Terrified,” she says. “It was very frightening. You need to be really brave. You had to wear what I call your big girl pants.”

The children burst into cackles, because let’s face it, if you need to make a bunch of primary school children laugh, then using the word “pants” is always going to be a winner. Another pertinent question comes from, of all people, the local bishop.

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Among those in attendance included director Matthew Cole Weiss, who had previously directed the 2006 TV movie Deceit, in which Meghan appears in one scene. Taking to social media, Weiss recalled his encounter with Harry and revealed that the father of two has watched his wife’s small role in the film.

“Got to have a full convo with Prince Harry. Super sweet. He knew of the movie I directed starring Meghan! Said he watched it before,” Weiss wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The movie producer also shared a photo of the royal, who was dressed in a black suit jacket with a white button-up shirt and black bow tie.

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One in every three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which include needing to visit the toilet more frequently, with more urgency, and difficulty emptying the bladder.

An enlarged prostate, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), does not usually pose a serious threat to health, and it is not cancer.

But patients may need to have several tests for the condition to rule out the possibility they have another illness with similar symptoms, such as prostate cancer.

Surgery is usually only recommended for moderate to severe symptoms that have not responded to medicine, the NHS website says.

Treatment can include a number of procedures, including removing part of the prostate gland with a laser, water ablation using the pressure of the water to destroy prostate tissue, or urethral lift implants, which hold the enlarged prostate away from the urethra so it is not blocked.

Other options include a prostate artery embolisation, during which tiny plastic particles are injected into blood vessels to shrink the prostate gland by reducing its blood supply.

NHS England said the “enlarged prostate” page on the NHS website received one visit every five seconds on the day the King’s diagnosis was announced, with further huge boosts in visits in the days that followed.

Kate, 42, remains in The London Clinic and is not expected to carry out official engagements until after Easter, with the Prince of Wales clearing his diary of official duties for the time being.

She is said to be “doing well” but will remain in the exclusive clinic for between 10 to 14 days, and is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.

Charles was diagnosed with the benign condition on January 17 while staying at Birkhall in Scotland, after going for a check-up because he was experiencing symptoms.

He is understood to have wanted to share the news to encourage other men to get themselves checked.

The King, who only acceded to the throne 16 months ago, was urged to rest by his doctors ahead of the corrective procedure.