Crown Prince Charles III talked about the lessons he has learned from being diagnosed with cancer and going through treatment on Wednesday. He said that the experience "brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity."
Charles said at a celebration at Buckingham Palace of community-based projects that raise cancer awareness and help people who have the disease, "each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones."
"It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years," he added. "And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits — that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion."
Charles told the doctors and nurses who were treating his cancer that "my whole family has the utmost respect and gratitude" for their work and that it "represents the very best our country can offer."
"What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection — whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the hand held by a hospice volunteer or the shared experience in a support group," said he. "These moments of kinship create what I might call a 'community of care,' one that sustains patients through the most difficult of times."
In February 2024, Charles was told he had cancer. He hasn't told many people about his battle with cancer, not even what kind of cancer he has or how far along it is.
So far, Buckingham Palace says that he was hospitalised last month because of side effects from his treatment.