King Charles admitted to British hospital for prostate procedure
King Charles III has been admitted to a hospital in London for a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday.
News footage showed Charles arriving at around 9am at the London Clinic, a private hospital, where his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, is recovering from abdominal surgery.
The palace announced the king's upcoming treatment last week, shortly after news that Prince William's wife Catherine had undergone surgery in London. Her office at Kensington Palace said she would remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days to recover.
The king's recovery is expected to be much faster, although the palace did not say how long he was expected to stay in hospital. By announcing his elective prostate procedure in advance, the palace hoped Charles, 75, would encourage other men with similar symptoms to have themselves examined.
“The King was admitted to hospital in London this morning for planned treatment,” the palace said in a statement. “His Majesty would like to thank everyone who sent their well wishes over the past week, and is pleased to hear that the diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”
Benign prostate enlargement is common men over 50 years oldThis is reported by the British National Health Service. It can occur in up to 90 percent of men over 70. Symptoms include difficulty urinating and urgency to urinate. It is not cancer and usually does not pose a serious health threat.
Treatment includes medication and diet and lifestyle changes, as well as surgical procedures in more severe cases to remove excess tissue from the prostate gland. Buckingham Palace did not describe the procedure Charles would undergo.
Medical experts said the most common treatment was a transurethral resection of the prostate, in which a surgeon scrapes out the inside of the prostate gland, freeing up the urethra.
Charles' planned treatment follows a period of worrying health news for the British royal family. In addition to Catherine, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and ex-wife of the king's younger brother Prince Andrew, said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
It was her second cancer diagnosis in a year. Ms Ferguson, 64, had spoken publicly last year about her decision to undergo a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer.
The London Clinic, an elite private facility in the Marylebone area of London, has treated other members of the royal family, as well as celebrities such as actress Elizabeth Taylor and foreign leaders such as Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. John F. Kennedy, the future president, was diagnosed by doctors with Addison's disease while hospitalized in 1947.