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The news of King Charles III‘s recent cancer diagnosis has shocked royal fans around the globe. The 75-year-old monarch, a public figure for nearly his entire life, has had people closing following his rise to the throne. Many cannot help but feel for him for this turn of events, which comes just 17 months after he took the throne, but others are pointing to Charles’ history of strong health as hope that he will make a full recovery.
Charles Is a Longtime Athlete and Has Sustained Injuries Along the Way
Growing up in the spotlight, the monarch’s activities have long been documented. As Prince Charles, he stayed in good shape first as a military man, serving in both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy.
In his leisure time, Charles has loved playing polo. In 1980, the then-prince was kicked in the face by his pony during a match on the pitch at Windsor. He got stitches after being checked out. The following year, he fell off his horse twice in a matter of five days, first during a race and later while practicing obstacles. Also, in 1981, Charles was hit by a polo ball in the throat during a match, after which he couldn’t speak for 10 days.
In 1990, Charles broke his arm after falling off a horse, which then kicked him in the arm, scaring a crowd of spectators. After three months of trying to heal the injury, he required surgery — a bone graft and metal plate — in order to make a more proper recovery. A 1993 fall aggravated what the Palace called a “serious degenerative disc problem” in his back. Another tumble in 1998 led him to break a rib.
While pursuing another (since-retired) hobby, fox hunting, Charles was thrown off a horse again in 2001, dislocating his shoulder. It wasn’t the only injury that year. Although he claimed to have retired from professional polo in 1994, Charles was thrown from a horse during a skirmish in Glouchestire in August 2001 while playing with Prince William and Prince Harry. The head-first fall rendered him unconscious. Shock spread as he was carted off the field. Charles ultimately sustained no damage from the incident.
The King Has Also Managed Other Injuries and Health Issues
King Charles has managed odd health injuries and issues over the years. Many have noticed that the king’s fingers swell significantly after long flights. It is something he has joked about, calling them “sausage fingers” in the past.
Charles underwent surgery on two separate occasions in the late 1990s to address cartilage damage in each of his knees.
In 2003, Charles channeled his sense of humor while talking about his hernia surgery. The hernia was the result of a gardening injury, joking, “Hernia today, gone tomorrow.”
Five years later, he had a procedure to remove a non-cancerous growth from the bridge of his nose.
Like many, Charles has contracted COVID-19 more than once, first experiencing the illness in March 2020, before vaccines were available. He contracted it a second time in February 2022 and had relatively mild symptoms each time.
Most recently, Buckingham Palace announced that the king needed surgery to treat a benign enlarged prostate. It was during that procedure that Charles’ cancer was discovered. They have since clarified that it is not prostate cancer.
