King Charles Australia Trip Was to ‘Prove He Isn’t Dying’: Insider
An insider close to the royal family claims that King Charles‘ much-discussed Australia trip was for a much more significant reason than to shore up relations between the country and the monarchy. Rather, it was to “prove he isn’t dying” as the king continues to receive cancer treatment after a diagnosis in early 2024.
King Charles’ health was the subject of much speculation this year
Buckingham Palace announced King Charles had cancer on Feb. 5, 2024. The disease was discovered during a hospital procedure for an enlarged prostate.
The palace did not specify the type or stage of Charles’ cancer, but stated it was not prostate cancer. Charles subsequently began regular outpatient treatments and postponed public duties. Revealing his diagnosis broke a long-standing tradition of secrecy around the health of a monarch.
The Daily Beast reports a former royal staffer believes the trip was more about proving to the public that Charles’ health had greatly improved and that he “isn’t dying.”
“It’s all about proving he isn’t dying, to be blunt,” the staffer said. “The problem is that if anything goes wrong, people will leap to the opposite conclusion. It’s make-or-break for Charles, I think.”
Charles was reportedly insistent on making the trip. The Australian visit was his first to a foreign country marking him head of state after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 2022.
King Charles paused medical intervention throughout his Australia trip
Despite King Charles’ claims he was well enough to endure the rigors of the Australia trip, the visit was problematic for the palace; Charles paused his ongoing cancer treatment for the duration of the trip.
While the visit was filled with many engagements, there was also plenty of time within the itinerary for the 75-year-old monarch to rest. Charles had two traveling doctors, as per royal protocol, during his official visits. Medical professionals were reportedly on standby to ensure Charles didn’t tire himself out.
Charles also traveled with a personal supply of blood in case he needed a transfusion. Reportedly, this copies his mother’s practice during trips abroad.
“You’ve got to make sure that you’re covering every eventuality and the aircraft would carry blood in case there was blood transfusion,” former press secretary to the Queen Dickie Arbiter told HELLO!. “There’s never any guarantee you are going to get the right type of blood at your destination.”
King Charles and wife Camilla Parker Bowles are currently in Samoa
Charles is the first British king to visit a Pacific Island nation. He landed in Samoa on Oct. 23, 2024, and will take part in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Charles and wife Camilla Parker Bowles will visit for four days before returning to the United Kingdom.
In an Instagram post dated Oct. 24, the king shared his thoughts regarding his Commonwealth Fellowship Program. A caption reads, “Throughout my life, I have believed in the power of education to improve lives and unite communities across the Commonwealth and beyond. There is so much we can learn from one another as we work together within the Commonwealth to tackle the major challenges of our age and, as these Fellowships do in Small Island Developing States, to address them where they are felt most acutely.”
It concludes, “It is vital to ensure the Commonwealth creates opportunity for everyone to realize their potential. The new King’s Commonwealth Fellowships Programme is focused on building environmental and societal resilience in Small Island Developing States.”
CHOGM 2024 runs from Oct. 21 to Oct. 26. Charles’s attendance is his first time as Head of the Commonwealth.
