King Charles in London hospital for prostate procedure

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LONDON — Britain’s King Charles III was admitted to a London hospital on Friday morning for a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the 75-year-old monarch had arrived at the facility for his “scheduled treatment.”

“His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness,” it added.

The palace revealed on January 17 that the king was set to undergo treatment “in common with thousands of men each year” and that his condition was “benign.”

Charles arrived at The London Clinic, a private healthcare facility near Regent’s Park, accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported. The move was seen as unusual as the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip always went into hospital by themselves.

The London Clinic is the same healthcare facility where Catherine, Princess of Wales remains following her abdominal surgery last week. The king visited his daughter-in-law before he went for his own treatment, a royal source told CNN.

Charles will postpone engagements for a short period while he recuperates. It was not immediately clear how long the monarch would remain in hospital and a royal source said there would be no further details of his treatment beyond what has already been shared.

Queen Camilla has been reassuring the public during engagements over the last week, saying while in Swindon on Monday that he was “fine” and that he was “looking forward to getting back to work” during an art gallery visit in Aberdeen, Scotland last Thursday.

Specific medical conditions of members of the royal family are rarely divulged publicly. The palace’s perspective is that they are entitled to some level of medical privacy despite their positions as public servants.

But the king made a rare intervention and opted to share his diagnosis as he was keen to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked, a royal source previously told CNN.

And it would appear his approach worked. There was a surge in men seeing if they are at risk of prostate cancer, according to figures from NHS England.

Visits to its “enlarged prostate” webpage — which provides information on causes, symptoms and treatment options — saw traffic surge more than 1,000% above its daily average after the palace’s announcement.

It received 16,410 visits on the day of the announcement, compared to 1,414 visits the day before, according to the organization.

Prostate Cancer UK also said the number of individuals using its online risk checker had jumped 97%. The charity praised the monarch “for his openness that’ll inevitably raise more awareness about the condition.”

In an unprecedented double royal health shock, news of Charles’ procedure was revealed on January 17, only 90 minutes after Kensington Palace separately announced that the Princess of Wales was in hospital.

Kate, 42, is not expected to return to her royal duties until after Easter. Her husband, Prince William has also temporarily stepped away from engagements to juggle supporting Kate’s recovery and childcare.

The royal family’s health woes continued days later as Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York revealed she was also recently diagnosed with skin cancer.

Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, said she was “in good spirits and grateful for the many messages of love and support” following her second cancer diagnosis since the summer.

“I have been taking some time to myself,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Naturally another cancer diagnosis has been a shock.”

The duchess underwent a mastectomy in June last year, followed by reconstructive surgery. Several moles were removed and analyzed at the time of her surgery, the UK Press Association reported Sunday, citing Ferguson’s spokesperson. — CNN