King Charles' cancer caught early, says PM Sunak
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Transcript
00:00 Benedict, great to see you. Lots of transparency from the royal family
00:05 related to these recent health crises. This is quite unusual, isn't it?
00:09 Very unusual. Transparency is not a word you associate with palace communications. It is
00:18 extremely rare, but clearly this is a different monarch. These are different times. This is
00:23 the 21st century. Lots of people have, whether it's iPhones or other devices, and clearly to
00:29 get in front of the story, the palace suddenly. Shock news, as is confirmed certainly in the
00:34 British press across all the papers. King's cancer shock. So surprise, shock, emotion.
00:41 Speaking to some of the cab drivers on the way here, they're saying, look, you know, the man
00:48 has got a cancer scare. And what we have found out in the last hour or so is that the British
00:54 prime minister who's gone on the airwaves, Rishi Sunak, has said, quote, it was caught early. And
01:01 it's interesting, this transparency issue, because of course it did not exist under his
01:06 late mother, the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II. It certainly didn't exist in different times
01:10 under his grandfather. But it's transparency up to a point, because we know it's not prostate
01:16 cancer. That is what was said in the communique published last night by Buckingham Palace.
01:21 We know it's a form of cancer, but we don't know what form of cancer. We know because of the prime
01:27 minister that it's been, quote, caught early. But we don't know what the timeline is for his
01:32 treatment. We simply know it's regular treatment, that it's a form of cancer. And therefore,
01:37 we don't know whether he'll be having chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or indeed,
01:42 you know, whether this will affect, apart from the cancelling and postponing of his public-facing
01:49 duties, how it will affect him in the coming months. So what the timeline is of when he will
01:55 be able to resume, as he hopes and is optimistic that he will go back to his full duties. No
02:01 constitutional change. He is the head of state. And of course, Rishi Sunak, with whom he's
02:06 communicating, as per the constitution, is the head of government.
02:10 Benedict, given that, as you mentioned, King Charles will be undergoing this treatment and
02:16 presumably will be out of the public eye for potentially weeks or even months,
02:20 other royals will need to step in. And could this potentially include
02:24 Prince Harry, who is reportedly on his way back to the UK?
02:28 Other royals will indeed have to step in. And let's be clear, working royals. Who are the
02:37 working royals? Well, certainly King Charles's spouse, Queen Camilla. And indeed, she in the
02:42 last week or so has been replacing Charles occasionally on some of his engagements.
02:47 Of course, the heir to the throne, as you would expect, Prince William. But he's under increased
02:51 pressure already because his wife, Catherine, was indeed in the same London clinic where we
02:58 learnt on the very same day the King was having his benign, we were told, prostate enlargement
03:07 treatment before this shock news last night that he has a form of cancer. But also there will be
03:15 Princess Anne, the princess royal, who will be stepping up to duties. And also one of the other
03:22 brothers of King Charles, and that will be Prince Edward and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of
03:30 Edinburgh. But Prince Harry, we think, is probably about to get a plane from California. We know that
03:38 before the public announcement last night, it was made known in the communique that King Charles
03:43 had spoken to both his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, before the publication of the news.
03:49 And indeed, as per the constitution to Rishi Sunak, and had also spoken to his siblings,
03:56 Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, we do not expect Prince Harry,
03:59 or indeed Prince Andrew, who are not working royals, to be replacing the King on any of his
04:07 engagements. Benedict, thank you very much for that. Benedict Pavia reporting there for us
04:11 outside a very windy Buckingham Palace.