King Charles offered a rare glimpse into his health as he shared light-hearted moments with patients during an official visit to Birmingham.
The monarch visited the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital on September 4, 2025 (British time), opening a medical centre and meeting staff, patients, and volunteers.
The visit had been postponed from March after he fell ill during ongoing cancer treatment.
Among those he met was patient Matthew Shinda, who asked the King about his recovery from an unspecified cancer diagnosed in February 2024.
“I’m not too bad,” the 76-year-old monarch replied.
The BBC reported that Shinda, who is being treated for prostate cancer, told the King about delays in his diagnosis.
“I’m very sorry about that, it’s so frustrating,” the King said.
“Half the problem is detecting it, isn’t it? In time.
“The great thing, I think, is they’re getting better and better at dealing with these things. The trouble is, there’s always hope down the road.”
When Shinda’s daughter mentioned her father “likes his malts”, the King joked about having a drink in hospital.
“Do they allow you a tiny dram of whisky occasionally?” he asked.
“I knew I should have brought one.”
He also claimed it was “supposed to be very good for the heart.”
Elsewhere, the King spoke candidly about the challenges of ageing. When 85-year-old Jacqueline Page told him she was “wearing out”, he replied with a chuckle, “That’s the terrible thing I’m discovering – bits don’t work so well when you get past 70.”
King Charles, who turns 77 in November, continues to receive treatment for his cancer. Buckingham Palace has confirmed only that the condition is not prostate cancer.
He has previously said it reinforced how “the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
Following his diagnosis, the King scaled back his royal duties for several months but has gradually resumed a normal schedule. In March, he was briefly hospitalised due to “temporary” side effects from scheduled treatment.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here a few months ago,” he told hospital staff.
The visit comes amid reports that King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry may meet for the first time in nearly two years.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, is set to be in London next week for a charity event coinciding with the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The Daily Mirror reported that recent discussions between palace officials and Harry’s team raised hopes of a private meeting.
“Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry,” a US source said.
“For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach.
“Prince Harry’s team and the palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another in September.
“After months apart, and with the King continuing his treatment, the feeling is that the time is right to take that step.”
The source added that the encounter would likely be “a simple face-to-face conversation between a father and a son”, rather than “a grand gesture or set-piece meeting.”
However, a reconciliation with Harry’s brother Prince William appears unlikely.
Another source told the Mirror that the idea of the Prince of Wales, 43, reuniting with his younger brother had been “rejected out of hand.”
Harry’s wife Meghan Markle is expected to remain in California with their children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
Images: X (formerly Twitter)
