TVNZ Europe correspondent Mei Heron describes the feeling in London after King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
News of King Charles having cancer has been splashed all over newspapers and received wall-to-wall coverage on television across the United Kingdom.
So, it was of little surprise when heading to Buckingham Palace at 4am, less than 12 hours after the news broke, that my taxi driver chose to speak of it too.
Except he spoke of his own cancer battle, the impact it had on his family, and his tough recovery since.
And as I too shared details of my loved ones who’ve battled it, I realised we were doing exactly what King Charles had wanted; being open about the disease and connecting with others.
As the royal's rally around, there's no word whether he'll met with his estranged brother Prince William. (Source: 1News)
Cancer will strike half of us in our lifetime and the recent news of His Majesty’s diagnosis shows just how indiscriminate it is.
The disease was picked up during the King’s recent visit to hospital for treatment for a benign enlarged prostate, and while Buckingham Palace said the King did not have prostate cancer, it won’t reveal any more details, including the prognosis.
So while a host of medical professionals, including doctors and cancer charities, have praised the King’s openness and honesty, others in the field have said the lack of detail only serves to fuel speculation and concern.
It sums up the challenge for Buckingham Palace, who since King Charles took over has been more forthcoming with information, in line with the Monarch’s desire to be more candid and transparent with the public.
It’s worth bearing in mind too how his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, operated. She was intensely private about her health right up until she died, with her death certificate stating her cause of death was old age.
Buckingham Palace has made it clear it will not be releasing any more information regarding the King’s cancer or details of his treatment plan.
The monarch has been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and begun treatment, Buckingham Palace has said. (Source: Breakfast)
Royal Biographer Robert Hardman told Breakfast once the precedent of revealing every aspect of any condition is set, it is then hard to regain any privacy.
“Every cancer patient has a right to a degree of privacy,” he said.
“He’s gone way beyond what we’re used to in relation to Royal bulletins.”
While Buckingham Palace will want to remain mum, it’s hard to imagine given the level of public interest his diagnosis has drummed up, that it will be able to get away with no updates.
Naturally, people will just want to know if their King is doing okay.
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