King ‘doing well’ after procedure to correct enlarged prostate
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The King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate on Friday and is “doing well”.
Charles was admitted to the same London hospital where the Princess of Wales is recovering from surgery and is expected to remain in hospital for at least one night.
The Queen arrived at the hospital with the King on Friday morning and as she left six hours later is reported to have said: “He’s doing well, thank you,” in answer to a question shouted by the press.
Royal aides confirmed that the King had visited the Princess before his own procedure.
He had returned to London from Sandringham by helicopter on Thursday ahead of the planned operation.
Charles, 75, had been resting at the Norfolk estate following the cancellation of his public engagements.
The Princess has been recuperating at the London Clinic after undergoing abdominal surgery at the hospital last week.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for 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.”
The Queen was photographed in the back of the car with the King as he arrived at the clinic.
The decision to go with him in person is unusual for the Royal family, with previous generations tending to visit hospital alone.
The King’s Serjeant Surgeon is Ranan Dasgupta, a urological surgeon who specialises in specific forms of treatment for an enlarged prostate and is based at the London Clinic.
Mr Dasgupta, who was appointed to the Medical Household last March, offers two treatments, aquablation therapy and prostate artery embolisation, for benign prostate hyperplasia, otherwise known as an enlarged prostate.
The King received his diagnosis just over a week ago, approving a statement about it from Buckingham Palace to give the public details of his condition in the hopes of raising awareness of its symptoms.
A press release was issued just 90 minutes after Kensington Palace confirmed that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic.
On Jan 17, a spokesman for the King said: “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.”
At the time, the King was at his Scottish residence at Birkhall and had cancelled a handful of engagements as a result of advice from doctors.
He has since flown for a weekend of rest at Sandringham, before returning to Clarence House on Thursday.
King ‘raring to return’ to work
The Queen is said to have urged her husband to slow down. He is said to be “raring” to return to work following a short period of recuperation.
Palace aides have indicated that he will need several weeks off public engagements, but he is intended to resume his full schedule of UK and overseas visits once he has a clean bill of health. He will be able to complete some of his duties as sovereign, including his daily red boxes, from home.
After his diagnosis, the Queen said the King was “fine” and “looking forward to getting back to work”.
The King’s decision to share details of his medical condition led to a surge in the public seeking information about enlarged prostates.
NHS England said that since Charles shared his diagnosis, the “enlarged prostate” page on the NHS website had received 26,170 visits in 48 hours, including another 9,760 visits on Thursday, compared with a daily average of 1,400 visits earlier in the week.
And Prostate Cancer UK saw 8,025 visits to its online risk check service, of which 6,800 were noted as high risk, more than double the previous day.
London Clinic
The Royal family has long favoured the London Clinic for treatment relating to abdominal conditions.
Elizabeth II was treated there for gastroenteritis in March 2013 and Prince Philip had an exploratory abdominal operation there the following month.
Amid the private hospital’s roster of leading consultants is Satyajit Bhattacharya, who happened to serve as Surgeon to the Royal Household from 2006 to 2016 and as the Serjeant Surgeon – the most senior surgeon in the Medical Household – to Elizabeth II from 2016 to 2023.
Dr Bhattacharya, known as Satya, is highly regarded by the Royal family and may well be treating the Princess, who was admitted last Tuesday for an undisclosed condition.
He has more than 20 years’ experience as a consultant surgeon, focusing on both open and keyhole surgery for gallstones, hernias, liver disease and pancreatic disease, and led the specialist liver and pancreas service at Barts Health NHS Trust. Dr Dasgupta is also based there.
Dr Dasgupta’s profile on the London Clinic’s website reveals that he is married with children and, like the King, is a fan of classical music.
He “still aims to attain dizzy heights of playing Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu or the fast movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight”, it says.
