King Charles III ended up staying at The London Clinic for three days instead of two, sparking concerns about his health post-surgery for an enlarged prostate.
His Majesty was admitted to hospital on Friday, Jan. 26, for a "corrective procedure". He was pictured arriving at the clinic and is understood to have undergone a successful operation.
Earlier that day, Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles III was at the hospital to undergo prostate surgery. The palace said in a statement: "The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment. His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness."
He was reportedly due to be discharged after two nights or on Saturday, Jan. 28, but remained in the hospital for a third night. Queen Camilla was spotted visiting her husband four times since his surgery.
🚨Yesterday #QueenCamilla has been seen visiting #KingCharles in hospital again - as he spends his second day receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate. At lunchtime she was spotted arriving at the #LondonClinic.
— Royal Family Windsor (@windsor_familyy) January 28, 2024
Follow me on Instagram for all #News: https://t.co/NN7max9a8b pic.twitter.com/kpFxvbWkx1
She was seen departing The London Clinic on Saturday afternoon in the backseat of a black car and seemingly in good spirits as she was photographed smiling. She also visited King Charles III earlier in the afternoon last Friday and then again that night, arriving at 6:34 p.m. and leaving before 8:00 p.m.
Queen Camilla paid King Charles a second visit in hospital on Friday evening following his successful prostate surgery.💗 pic.twitter.com/MI7QGbNUUn
— AleTui (@TuiAle295) January 27, 2024
At that time, she gave a brief update about the monarch's condition to well-wishers gathered outside. "He's fine, thank you," she said heading to her car, according to ITV's Chris Ship.
Queen Camilla leaves hospital where King Charles is being treated. She said “he’s fine, thank you” as she left The London Clinic. pic.twitter.com/8BYU8mbRKb
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) January 26, 2024
Then she was back at The London Clinic on Sunday evening for another visit. She was pictured departing the hospital at 7:06 p.m., according to the Daily Mail.
King Charles III is known to be a workaholic who skips lunch and stays on his table working on his correspondence and official papers late at night until dawn. The exact nature of his treatment for his enlarged prostate is not known.
However, his extended hospital stay sparked concerns about his health, despite the Queen's assurance that he is doing fine. One user over at X, formerly Twitter, wrote: "Three days? Serious" and another commented: "Is the guy okay?"
An unnamed source told The Sun that "it is understood that Charles would only stay in hospital for longer than two nights if there was some kind of unexpected issue". But the "extra stay is entirely precautionary but has nevertheless reportedly caused some unease".
"It's now expected Charles will have to avoid public jobs for at least a month on medical advice. But knowing the King, he will try to keep some private audiences and insist on keeping on top of his paperwork," the insider added.
Another X user shared concern over the monarch's one-month recuperation writing: "A month!! What is going on!! More serious than letting on?"
One more wrote: "A month!?! That's a long time. I thought initially they said he'd be out a day or two?" While another user explained the necessity of a longer recovery for King Charles III writing: "The recovery time of an enlarged prostrate depends on how quickly a patient can pass water without the use of a catheter which is usually inserted in the navel. Lots of rest in the early days of post op is recommend as well as a good intake of water."
The 75-year-old monarch was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, which is a benign condition common to men, on Jan. 17, while he was at Birkhall, Aberdeenshire. He went for a check-up after experiencing symptoms.
He decided to share his diagnosis to share awareness and encourage other men to have themselves checked. Buckingham Palace has yet to announce when King Charles III will leave The London Clinic, where Kate Middleton has also been recuperating following an abdominal surgery on Jan. 16.
