On 26 January, King Charles was admitted to the hospital in order to undergo surgery for an enlarged prostate. The announcement about the surgery was made by Buckingham Palace on 17 January, less than two hours after Kate Middleton’s surgery announcement.
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At the time, it was revealed that the King would go back to work after a ‘short period of recuperation’ but after the procedure it has now come out that the King could be off public duties for ‘up to a month’.
As much as this is expected after an operation, it will be difficult for King Charles to adjust to.
King Charles, the workaholic
This isn’t brand new information as it has been reported on many times and by many sources: King Charles loves to work. His own sons, Princes William and Harry have commented on it.
As reported by The Telegraph, Prince Harry said in 2018:
(...) this is a man who has dinner ridiculously late at night. And then goes to his desk later that night and will fall asleep on his notes to the point where he’ll wake up with a piece of paper stuck to his face.
Prince William strongly agreed with his brother and admitted that, at times, his father’s schedule and routine left him ‘frustrated’. Even more recently, it was reported by The Sun that the Queen Consort herself has urged the King to ‘slow down’ which he has ignored.
Now, as his health is forcing him to actually slow down, King Charles will mostly find it difficult to adapt. Indeed, as The Telegraph reported on 28 January, his daily schedule is usually filled to the brim.
From early morning paperwork to more paperwork after dinner, King Charles doesn’t stop and is believed to even be working in between meetings and events during the commute. The Telegraph also reports that it isn’t unusual for the King to skip lunch in order to keep up with his hectic schedule.
King Charles’ schedule has people worried
While The Telegraph reported on King Charles’ busy schedule they mentioned that members of his staff were concerned about its pace. A ‘well-placed insider’ told the publication:
The people who work for him are worried he is doing too much for a man of 75 (...) It’s sometimes a struggle to keep up with him.
Though the monarch is suspected not to be able to attend public functions for a month, the recuperation period will not prevent him from doing all the work he is used to from home. Moreover, it was already announced that Counsellors of State will not be needed which implies the King will be working to almost full effect.
A Counsellor of State is expected to ‘carry out most of the official duties of the Sovereign, for example, attending Privy Council meetings, signing routine documents and receiving the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom’ according to the Royal Family website.
The Queen Consort herself has insisted several times that the King 'is not one for chilling.' In 2013, she gave some insight as to what the King is like everyday:
He never, ever stops working. He’s exhausting. No matter what the day, he is always working.
Finally, thanks to The Telegraph we learn that King Charles has been operating on this busy schedule since his time as Prince of Wales. The publication specifies that, for that reason, ‘it seems improbable he will change it now’ even though people around him worry he might be doing too much.
In King Charles’ defence, the monarch might feel he doesn’t have a choice but to keep working as Prince William, his heir and person most expected to step up when the King is undergoing medical procedures, announced that he will also be taking time off in order to take care of his wife and children.
There is also the ongoing issue of the monarchy’s lack of senior royals who can work while the monarch is resting. Indeed, in 2023 the King attended 425 royal engagements, ranking behind his right-hand woman Princess Anne, while Prince William performed 172.
Read more:
⋙ King Charles treated for an enlarged prostate, how is His Majesty doing after surgery?
⋙ King Charles: This ‘veteran royal watcher’ is revealing more about the monarch’s temper
Sources:
The Telegraph: King to have prostate treatment as Princess of Wales goes to hospital
Sky News: King will not carry out royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from surgery, Sky News understands
The Telegraph: What a typical day in the life of ‘workaholic’ King Charles looks like
Royal Family Website - Counsellors of State
The Telegraph: Hardest working royals of 2023 revealed
