King Charles Comments on 'Encouraging' News in Cancer Treatment Following His Own Diagnosis

Mar. 15, 2025

Georgina Long and King Charles at the Melanoma Institute of Australia on Oct. 22, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.Photo:David Gray-Pool/Getty

David Gray-Pool/Getty

King Charlesshared a hopeful word about new advances in cancer treatment amid his owncancer diagnosisduring hisroyal tour of Australia and Samoa.

On Oct. 22, the King, 75, offered the commentduring his visitto the Melanoma Institute Australia in Sydney. The outing came on the fifth day of his historic tour withQueen Camilla, and was one of several stops he made solo.

The Melanoma Institute Australia is the world’s largest melanoma research and treatment facility, and the sovereign met Australian of the Year Award winners Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer to hear more about their work in melanoma treatment. Australia has the world’s highest rates of melanoma, and it is the country’s third most common cancer.

Richard Scolyer greets King Charles alongside Georgina Long at the Melanoma Institute of Australia on Oct. 22, 2024.David Gray-Pool/Getty

“When we stimulate the immune system, it can get confused and can start attacking normal tissue. And there are side effects that we become expert at managing,” Long said.

“Oh! You do? That’s very encouraging,” the King replied, according to the outlet.

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment which uses the immune system to find and destroy cancer cells, according to theCleveland Clinic, and differs from chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill cancer cells and prevent tumor growth.

While visiting the Melanoma Institute Australia, the King also met Adam Brown, who is a patient of Long’s, to hear about his cancer treatment experience. The sovereign was shown one of Brown’s scans, and Long, who won theAustralian of the Year Awardwith Scoyler for their strides to save lives from skin cancer, explained the steps of treatment following a melanoma diagnosis.

Richard Scolyer and King Charles at the Melanoma Institute Australia on Oct. 22, 2024.David Gray-Pool/Getty

“Fantastic. Brilliant. I’m so glad,” King Charles said.

In February, Buckingham Palace announced that the King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and began treatment. The news came after the palace announced the King was treated for abenign enlarged prostatein January. A spokesmanclarifiedthat he does not have prostate cancer.

The sovereign postponed public-facing work for three months on medical advice, and resumedforward-facing engagementson April 30.

Buckingham Palace said in April that the King’s treatmentwas ongoing, and the sovereign has occasionally spoken about his own health at royal outings since.

King Charles greets the public at the Melanoma Institute Australia on Oct. 22, 2024.David Gray-Pool/Getty

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

“It’s alwaysa bit of shockwhen they tell you,” he told a cancer patient at theMacmillan Cancer Centre at the University College Hospital Londonon April 30, according toRebecca English of theDaily Mail.The center is not directly involved in his care, and the King made the statement at his first outing since resuming forward-facing duties.

Queen Camilla and King Charles arrive in Apia, Samoa on Oct. 23, 2024.Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

After the King’s poignant visit to the Melanoma Institute Australia, he and Queen Camilla stepped out in Samoa on Oct. 23 to continue the second leg of the tour. The Australia visit was significant, as it marked the first to a Commonwealth realm since the King’s accession in September 2022.

They continued to Samoa for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be the King’s first time attending the summit as the Head of the Commonwealth. The voluntary association of 56 nations is closely linked to the British crown.

source: people.com