Jane Barlow/Pool via Reuters
The mood at Buckingham Palace has been “subdued” ahead of King Charles’ admission to hospital this week, according to one insider, with a friend of the king’s adding that his treatment for an enlarged prostate has come as an “unwelcome reminder” of the king’s advanced age, and the inevitably short duration of his reign compared to that of his mother.
A former courtier who remains in contact with old colleagues told The Daily Beast: “The mood at the palace is, unsurprisingly, subdued. The enlargement of the prostate may be benign, but treatment isn’t a small thing. The king could be off games [out of action] for a month or so.”
The palace, of course, have sought to play down the impact of the hospitalization on the king, with sources telling the Daily Telegraph and the Sun that the king will be “raring to go” after the procedure and working from home while recuperating.