King Charles III has cancer: Prince William, heir to the throne, takes over at a difficult time. He returns to royal duties this Wednesday, with his wife and father ill.
He is expected to step forward just as King Charles stepped forward to help his own mother. The news was a bucket of cold water for the royals, in a particularly gloomy winter for the Royal Family. It seems a much more fragile group of people than at last year's Coronation celebrations. But these kinds of emergencies can bring people together, says BBC royal correspondent Sean Coughlan.