King to be treated in hospital for enlarged prostate, Palace says

The news was the second royal health scare to be announced on Wednesday after the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery.

The King is to be treated in hospital next week for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The Palace said Charles’s condition was benign and he would be having a corrective procedure.

His engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.

The news came just an hour-and-a-half after Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales was recovering in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery, and would be recuperating and away from official duties for up to three months.

Charles is staying at Birkhall, his private home near Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, and was said to “genuinely be in good spirits” and in “good form”, and his wife the Queen was with him, sources said.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate.

“His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”

It is understood Charles was keen to share the details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with public health advice.

The Palace declined to say whether he would be treated in London or Scotland.

The King was diagnosed on Wednesday after experiencing symptoms and going for a check-up earlier this week.

He had a series of meetings and events planned at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire on Thursday and Friday, which are now being postponed on his doctor’s advice.

The busy programme revolved around his King’s Foundation charity including a dinner and meeting the organisation’s beneficiaries.

Guests, including foreign dignitaries and members of the Cabinet, were due to travel to Scotland and the Palace made the announcement to allow for them to be made aware of the situation.

Charles is known to be a workaholic, who skips lunch, and often stays at his desk dealing with his correspondence and official papers late at night and into the early hours of the morning, but he has generally enjoyed good health, and keeps fit by walking and gardening.

The 75-year-old monarch acceded to the throne just 16 months ago after spending 70 years as the heir to the throne.

He crowned last May in Westminster Abbey.

An enlarged prostate is common in men over the age of 50 and does not usually pose a serious threat to health, according to the NHS.

When the prostate becomes enlarged, it can put pressure on the bladder and the urethra, which is the tube that urine passes through.

This can cause someone to urinate more often and experience difficulties when doing so.

It is not fully understood why some men develop the condition, but it is believed to be linked to hormonal changes as a man gets older.

Referred to by medics as benign prostate enlargement (BPE), the condition is not a cancer and those with it are not at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.