When it comes to his health, Charles is no ordinary King

A mere two years ago, the headlines on 6 February 2022 heralded the remarkable achievement of the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II – 70 years on the throne. We saw her cutting a cake at Sandringham, and she tidied up one of the last serious issues of her reign – asking that, when the time came, Charles’s wife should be the Queen Consort.

In 1952, 6 February marked the death of King George VI. He had died peacefully at Sandringham in the early hours of that day.

Seventy-two years on, the news about King Charles and his cancer diagnosis has, therefore, come as a considerable shock to the nation.

There are inherent differences between the present King and the grandfather that he so admires. George VI had never enjoyed the best of health, and was a chain smoker. He had been propelled onto the throne unexpectedly following the abdication of his brother. He had a bad stammer. He had not been trained for the job. Nevertheless, he rose to the occasion and found himself steering the country through the Second World War. It was sad that the peace had barely been won when his health declined.

There were many occasions between 1948 and his death in 1952 when George VI did not appear, when Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) was effectively the head of state, even receiving state visitors – monarchs such as King Haakon of Norway – while the King remained in his room.

In the summer of 1951, the local doctor examined the King, and he was sent down to London, to have his lung removed. The medical profession, if not the general public, were aware that the King would not live long.

There was the poignant scene in early 1952 of the King waving Princess Elizabeth goodbye at the airport, as she set off to tour the Commonwealth. A few days later, the King simply did not wake up.

But King Charles is very different. He has had occasional issues – mostly sporting injuries, sustained when falling off a polo pony. The sight of him emerging from hospital with his arm in a sling used to be familiar, but he has now not played for almost two decades.

He does not smoke. He eats carefully, largely organic food. He scarcely eats any lunch, preferring a more substantial dinner at the end of the day. He likes to keep trim by performing 5BX, an 11-minute workout involving simple stretches and push-ups, designed to keep pilots fit. He is out and about in the open air whenever he can be. Guests who have stayed with him have noticed an array of vitamins on the breakfast table.

He displays none of the frailty of George VI, and he must be cheered by the longevity of his parents, the Queen, who reached 96, and Prince Philip, who died a few months shy of his 100th birthday.

There is also every evidence that Charles is enjoying being King. Far from seeing himself as a stop-gap monarch, he has come into his own. He no longer makes controversial speeches, but instead talks with other world leaders, as one head of state to another, in a way that was not quite possible when he was Prince of Wales.

He is also enjoying the royal estates and the houses, he has redone the garden at Sandringham, and he is clearly very happy and well supported by Queen Camilla.

The more complicated issues within his family, he has dealt with extraordinary forbearance, leaving the door open for his recalcitrant youngest son, and not responding to any of his jibes. It is cheering to know that Prince Harry is soon to visit him.

I hope that proves to be a tonic. Similarly, the public support shown to the King after his setback is a reminder of the admiration and affection in which the nation holds him. We wish him well.