Following His Cancer Scare, King Charles’ Friend Describes What Was ‘One of the Hardest Things for Him’

A friend of King Charles has described what they think would be “one of the hardest things” for the king now that he has been diagnosed with cancer. The 75-year-old His Majesty was forced to rescind all of his public engagements, Buckingham Palace revealed last Monday. As per his friend, Charles is expected to suffer from “boredom” as a consequence. Insiders joke that he will go through his “red boxes” of papers “before he’s had his boiled egg in the morning,” even though he has canceled all public appearances.

As reported by The Mirror , one source added that the King is probably going to spend some time indulging in one of his more peculiar hobbies, which is listening to his treasured recordings of the late Canadian artist Leonard Cohen—in particular, the beautiful tune Take This Waltz , which he has called ‘very moving’. Apart from this, the King’s condition has, among other things, brought him closer to Sarah Ferguson, who received a skin cancer diagnosis just after Christmas. In an effort to show her support and well wishes, the Duchess of York has been writing the King encouraging letters. The Duchess also paid a moving homage to the King at a cancer charity gala in Florida, encouraging him to “keep fighting on.”

As reported by the Daily Mail , she said, “I want to thank you all for your kindness in supporting my family members who are going through a hard time, and we wish everyone well, every family in the world, that has been diagnosed or who is going through a difficult time, we wish them well. And of course, my brother-in-law, we wish you well, keep fighting on. The cancer alliance is about hope, and there isn’t enough hope in the world. For anyone who’s suffering from low hope, for anyone who believes they can’t do this, they can, it’s absolute nonsense.” The monarch was hospitalized for three days after a benign medical treatment to treat an enlarged prostate that was discovered to be the cause of his illness last month. This action was the catalyst for the discovery of a different cause for worry, which was later identified as cancer. The shocking revelation comes after the King’s hospital stay, the Princess of Wales’s severe abdominal surgery, and the Duchess of York’s skin cancer diagnosis.

Charles also thanked the people for their thoughts in a letter that was sincere and forthright. The 107-word note read: “I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days. As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement. It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world. My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience. Charles R.”