King Charles, cancer and royal secrets

Samantha Hawley: For hundreds of years, the royal family's health woes have been tightly guarded secrets, from a king secretly euthanised to a hidden case of lung cancer. But under King Charles, things are changing. He's announced to the world he has cancer. So now he's gone public, does it change how we perceive the monarchy? I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily.

Cindy McCreery: Hi, I'm Cindy McCreery. I'm an Associate Professor of History at the University of Sydney and my research focus is monarchy and colonialism.

Samantha Hawley: So you're well placed to tell us about the health of King Charles.

News report: We begin this morning with breaking news. Buckingham Palace has just announced that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. In a statement, the palace says the king has been advised by doctors to postpone his public-facing duties.

Samantha Hawley: World leaders have been paying tribute to King Charles, of course, including our own Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.

Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister: Today, the thoughts of all Australians are with King Charles and his family.
Peter Dutton, Leader of Opposition: Every best wish to King Charles. Obviously, he's a stoic individual.
Samantha Hawley: So it all sounds pretty worrying, pretty concerning.

Cindy McCreery: Well, that's right, and I think the fact that the king has shared his cancer diagnosis is also an indication that he is taking it seriously and the royal family is taking it seriously and that this is not nothing. And of course, many people around the world, many people have experience of cancer in their own family and realise that whoever has this diagnosis, it's tough news.

Samantha Hawley: Yeah, of course it is. And his son, Prince Harry, who of course lives in the United States, will be heading home. Is that significant in itself, do you think?

Cindy McCreery: I think it's highly think it's significant. While many commentators have noted that, of course, any child would do that for a parent, and that's true, I think we have to acknowledge there's been a really serious rift between Harry and his father and members of the royal family. So this is, I think, a remarkable development. And may I say, this might be the silver lining, one of the silver linings of this very sad news, and that is that if Harry can have a rapprochement with his father and his elder brother, that would of course be wonderful, not just for the family, but I think for the public image of the royal family but also the sense of stability that the monarchy can bring to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Samantha Hawley: This diagnosis came just after King Charles was released from hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate. Doctors have clearly spotted something during that procedure, and we know, I think, that it's not prostate cancer, but the palace hasn't said exactly what it is. So why can't they say? Why don't they say?

Cindy McCreery: I think most people would sort of understand and agree that your health condition is private. I think many people wouldn't want their cancer diagnosis shared with the world, and of course for someone like Charles, it is a global news story. I think the other important aspect though is that Charles has acknowledged his cancer, and I think that is a very important and new step for a monarch. He hasn't hid behind the cloak of secrecy that previous monarchs has, and I think he's done that for a very deliberate and I think very positive of a reason, which is to really get the word out about cancer and to encourage people to get checked out. We know that with the news of his benign prostate condition that that prompted more people in the UK to ring up the National Health Service about prostate. That's a good thing. So I think from that point of view, we should be glad that that awareness is getting out there without perhaps needing to know the nitty-gritty details.

Samantha Hawley: He's stepping aside from public duties for the moment, although the statement from Buckingham Palace, it's really clear, isn't it? It says public facing duties, meaning what? That he's still very much in charge.

Cindy McCreery: Yes, this is actually really significant, Samantha. It's very clear that the king is signalling that he is absolutely maintaining his constitutional duties as monarch. In other words, meeting weekly with the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, signing off on legislation, overseeing the Privy Council. So all the other duties, all the opening hospitals, meeting with members of the public, hosting garden parties, etc. those are, if you like, optional. But technically he's maintaining his royal duties, which means that he does not need to call upon the Councillors of State to take over those constitutional duties.

Samantha Hawley: We don't know a lot of details, I suppose, in history about the health of the royals, but what do we know that might be significant here?

Cindy McCreery: Yes, that's a really interesting point because while we know that the Queen was very long-lived and apparently healthy, as was her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in fact, both the Queen's father and grandfather, so Charles's grandfather and great-grandfather, in fact, suffered from cancer and although they had complex health issues, both were heavy smokers and they developed lung cancer, among other health issues. And in fact, George VI died on 6 February 1952 of cancer.

Robert Menzies - Former Prime Minister of Australia: Mr. Speaker, it's my very melancholy task to inform the House that the news which ran in rumour a few minutes ago is now officially confirmed that His Majesty the King died this morning.

Cindy McCreery: And it came as a complete shock to many people, even though his ill health had been well known. So, too, the death of George V in 1936, he died in his sleep.

Joseph Lyons - Former Prime Minister of Australia: Tonight there is only one thought in all our minds. It is of the passing of our beloved sovereign, King George V.

Cindy McCreery: It came as really a total shock. What is perhaps more shocking to us today is that in the case of George V, he was actually euthanised in that the Royal Doctor, Dr Dawson, actually took it upon himself to give the King a fatal dose of cocaine, amongst other drugs, to end what the Doctor felt was the indignity of his life. So there's a lot that's different today, but clearly what we can see is that cancer is not unknown within the British Royal Family.

Samantha Hawley: Absolutely fascinating. Cindy,Absolutely fascinating. he was only coronated less than a year ago in May last year. What sort of king do you think he's been so far?

Cindy McCreery: Look, I think that it's early days, but I think that certainly as we see from the reports of responses to the King on the streets of London and other parts of the United Kingdom, that in Britain he is, I think, admired. I think that he and Camilla, his Queen, have come across as concerned monarchs, as monarchs who are concerned about the King's health. I think that he's been one of those monarchs who are in touch as much as possible for members of the Royal Family, to be in touch with the concerns of ordinary members of the public, and I think that's been a very positive thing.

London residents: You know, it's coming a year after the coronation, and so I think my thoughts are with him, with the family. He's someone who a lot of people take great comfort in, and I do too, and I think he's a... I'm sure he'll fight it.

Cindy McCreery: The challenge, of course, and this was always going to be a challenge because of the King's age. He, of course, was crowned at the ripe old age of 75. Is the issue of his relationship with the Commonwealth and with places like Australia. We know that he was planning a visit to Australia in October. We're, of course, not clear now whether that will go ahead, but it was always going to be, I think, a challenge for an older monarch to have the same relationship with the Commonwealth that his mother did, who, of course, reigned for 70 years, but was also travelling to Australia in her younger years. So this is, I suppose, the question is, will this diagnosis make it more difficult for Charles to connect with other parts of the Commonwealth?

Samantha Hawley: Cindy, it's not the only health issue, of course, the royals are facing. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, won't be returning to any royal duties until Easter after she had abdominal surgery, although we don't know exactly what it was for. It's a change, as you mentioned, intact, isn't it, for the royal family to actually tell the public about health concerns of members of the royal family. So what is the communication strategy here? Because we know there's a whole team of people, isn't there, that look after this sort of thing. The royal family, it's known as the firm, it's a brand, it's a business. So all of this messaging matters, doesn't it?

Cindy McCreery: Absolutely, and I think what we see is with this new slimmed-down royal family, which was something that Charles was very keen to do, is that he absolutely wants to emphasise continuity so that if, for example, his illness were to reach a stage where he did need to step back from his constitutional duties, there's a very clear plan in place for the councillors of state, the four senior members of the royal family next in line in succession, namely Prince William, Prince Harry, actually Prince Andrew, although I don't actually see him taking up those duties, and Andrew's eldest daughter Beatrice, would step up. So it's very important for the king in his medical bulletins to a, assure people that at the moment, for example, he's still able to maintain his constitutional duties, but b, if he were to reach a stage where that wasn't possible, that there were others who could step up. But c, I think he's also keen to really reassure people that he will let people know when there's something important. In other words, he may not disclose the exact nature of his illness or its exact prognosis, but when there is a fundamental change to his situation as king, in other words, if there were a moment where he could not continue his constitutional role, that he will reassure the public now that he will let people know. And I think that's very important because the royal family has been accused in the past of really being shrouded in secrecy, and then, of course, they've had the unfortunate situation of investigative journalists releasing details to the public that go viral. So they don't want that to happen. They want to maintain control of this story, and the best way to do that is to be up front and clear about the stages of the process.

Samantha Hawley: His mother, of course, the Queen, was apparently in such remarkably good health pretty much right up until her death. In fact, cause of death was old age. Could the king's health, Cindy, change our perception of the royals, do you think? I mean, you mentioned he might not be able to come to Australia anymore. Does that change things for us?

Cindy McCreery: I think in some ways, yes, because what we saw in the Queen's reign, obviously towards the last few decades of her life, she also cut back on long-haul travel, so she didn't visit Australia in recent years. But what she did do was to deploy younger members of the royal family, such as Harry and Meghan, also William and Kate, to visit, sort of representing her.

News reporter, 2018: Harry and Meghan finally emerging from the Opera House on the western side of the Opera House, down to meet several thousand people, and just moments ago, a huge roar from the crowd.

Cindy McCreery: And I would expect that that would continue with Charles. On the other hand, I do think you're right, Samantha, I think that this illness of a monarch, this public acknowledgement that the king, the head of state of not just the United Kingdom, but places like Australia and the other Commonwealth realms, has cancer, that's a new departure, that's a much more stark acknowledgement that, after all, the monarch is human. I think, on the one hand, that could make people worry about the future, but on the other hand, what Charles is doing, again, to point out that the monarchy is not just about the individual, right? It's about the line of succession. It's very clear that whatever were to happen to Charles, whatever his life expectancy may be, we know what's going to happen next, so that should be a point of reassurance. Whether that will reassure people is a different matter, but I think that what we're seeing with this diagnosis and this acknowledgement of it is, look, it's not important what happens to the individual, what is important is about the institution, and Charles is very keen to reassure people that the institution will continue.

Samantha Hawley: Of course, there's going to be huge attention on this around the world. Some of us care about it and some of us won't want to hear about it at all, but what's the fascination, do you think?

Cindy McCreery: Well, I mean, the short answer, Samantha, is that because this is the king of the United Kingdom and, you know, 14 realms of the Commonwealth, this is the person who is our head of state, he is a member of what has argued been historically the most powerful family in the world. I think also we live in a culture, of course, where we are, you know, we are in a 24-7 news cycle, we are interested in updates, we're interested in what's happening, there's a personal interest side to this. The other point, of course, is, I think, and this is perhaps the more positive side, is interest and awareness of cancer, and I think we need to be aware that in the United Kingdom, sadly, survival rates, waiting times for cancer treatment, things are very challenging at the moment for people in the United Kingdom who have a cancer diagnosis. The king, of course, doesn't have to wait in line. Cancer affects all of us, either directly or indirectly, and if this can be a way forward for heightening awareness of cancer and getting up support for more funding, I think that would be a very positive outcome from this news.

Samantha Hawley: Cindy McCreery is an associate professor of history at the University of Sydney. You may have seen the Reserve Bank rates on hold after it’s latest meeting of the year, if you want to know when they will start falling, have a listen to Tuesday’s episode with Alan Kholer. That’s in your feed. This episode was produced by Bridget Fitzgerald Audio production by Sam Dunn. Our supervising producer is David Coady I'm Sam Hawley ABC News Daily will be back again tomorrow. Thanks for listening.