Britain’s King Charles III was admitted Friday to a private London hospital for scheduled treatment for an enlarged prostate, which Buckingham Palace announced last week he would be undergoing. The palace has said his condition is benign, and on Friday it said the monarch was “delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”
“His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week,” the palace noted.
No further updates on the king’s treatment were expected, and it was unclear how long he would remain in the hospital or away from his work during recovery.
“In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” Buckingham Palace said in its initial statement announcing the unspecified “corrective procedure” last week. It said his public engagements would “be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”
Charles was admitted to the same private clinic where his daughter-in-law, Kate, the Princess of Wales, has been since undergoing an unspecified abdominal surgery last week.
Charles was crowned last year at the age of 74 after inheriting the monarchy upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His health is generally understood to have been good. He had a non-cancerous growth removed from his face in 2008, The Associated Press reported.
More than one in three British men will face some issues with prostate enlargement in their lifetime, and the condition is commonly associated with ageing, according to Britain’s National Health Service.
“It’s not known why the prostate gets bigger as you get older, but it is not caused by cancer and does not increase your risk of developing prostate cancer,” the NHS says on its website.
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