By revealing that he has cancer, Charles III breaks with centuries of royal tradition

2024-02-07T18:15:43.721Z

Highlights: By revealing that he has cancer, Charles III breaks with centuries of royal tradition. Never complain, never explain, said Queen Elizabeth II. Charles decided to break with his mother on that. But information about his health is still scarce. What about leaders in other parts of the world? In the United States, there is little or no debate about the public's right to know the status of its leaders. In the annals of power, leaders and their advisors strive to maintain (or at least not weaken) the image that they are strong and in control.

Never complain, never explain, said Queen Elizabeth II. Charles decided to break with his mother on that. But information about his health is still scarce. What about leaders in other parts of the world?

In British history,

secrecy about the monarch's health has always reigned.

The revelation by Buckingham Palace that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer

broke with that long tradition.

Hot on the heels of the shock and well-wishes that followed Monday's official statement came the surprise that the palace had actually announced anything.

In reality, the unpublished letter contained few details.

Carlos, 75, had begun treatment for a type of cancer he did not mention after receiving that diagnosis during a recent corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

The king will step away from his public duties but will attend to state matters during his treatment, which he will receive as an outpatient, the palace said.

“The King has cancer,” declared the Times of London on Tuesday in a brief headline.

He was unlike any other in British history.

The kings were seen for the first time since the diagnosis, this Tuesday.

Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP

Never complain, never explain

, as Charles's late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, said.

Carlos has hidden details of her illness and treatment, and in this way

continues the strategy she used.

But by shining a ray of light from within the palace walls and from his own life, the king has broken with his mother and royal tradition.

There's a lot we still don't know

The world

still does not know the cause of Isabel's death

in 2022 at age 96.

In the final years of her life, the public was only told that the queen suffered from “mobility problems.”

Her death certificate listed the cause simply as “old age.”

The British public was not told that Charles's grandfather, King George VI,

had lung cancer

before his death in February 1952 at age 56, and some historians maintain that

the king himself was not informed

that he had one. terminal disease.

As Charles reigns in a media-saturated age, “I think it is his duty to reveal more than he has revealed,” said Sally Bedell Smith, author of Charles: The

Passions and Paradoxes of

an Improbable Life.

an unusual life).

Charles's openness about his cancer diagnosis is his style as a monarch.

Photo: AP

"He was admirably candid in what he said about treatment for an enlarged prostate, and his drive was to be open and also encourage men to get the necessary tests," he added.

"But

then he returned to the traditional royal form,

which is

mystery, secrecy, opacity

On Tuesday, former royal press secretary Simon Lewis told BBC Radio 4 that Charles' candor about his cancer diagnosis is his style as a monarch.

"I think twenty years ago we would have gotten a very brief, brief statement, and that's it," he said.

The palace statement goes as far as possible, “given that the King has been diagnosed with cancer and, as many know, processing this is a quite difficult process.”

One of the reasons for disclosing her illness, the palace statement said, was "the hope that this can help raise public understanding of all those around the world who are affected by cancer."

Cancer patient advocacy organizations reported glimpses of success on that front, with Cancer Research UK reporting

a 42% increase in visits

to its cancer information page, according to chief health officer Dr Julie Sharp. and information for patients in that group.

The jump “reflects that high-profile cancer cases often act as a stimulus to encourage people

to know more or think about their own health

,” he said.

But there was another pragmatic reason:

to maintain control of information

in the age of ultra-fast social media and misinformation.

The palace statement said Charles "has decided to share his diagnosis to avoid speculation."

A tendency to limit information

In the annals of power, leaders and their advisors strive to maintain (or at least not weaken)

the image that they are strong and in control.

Because allowing any perception of vulnerability or weakness could spark

a struggle for power or the crown

...

or fuel a coup d'état

The former Soviet Union was famous for not revealing that its leaders

were sick or dead

: this is the case of

Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko

, who secretly became ill and soon died, one after another, in the 1980s. Each of these events caused fights for succession.

Joe Biden, too old to govern?

Photo: EFE

In the United States,

there is little or no debate about the public's right to know the health status of its leaders

It's

a key feature

of the 2024 presidential fight between President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, with other contenders, such as Republican challenger Nikki Haley, arguing that

both are too old to be president. .

And on February 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, sixth in line for presidential succession,

apologized for keeping his cancer diagnosis

and surgery a secret.

In a rare news conference, he acknowledged missing a key opportunity to use the experience as a lesson for the people he leads across the Department of Defense and, more importantly, for African Americans.

How much right do the British people have to know?

Whether the monarch owes the world more information about his health than other Britons

is a tense issue.

The royals are private citizens but, in a sense,

they are also part of the public trust

, as they are subsidized by British taxpayers and have an important constitutional role, although largely without authority.

Unelected, they inherit their wealth under

a thousand-year-old monarchy

that Republican activists have long sought to dislodge.

A woman walks past a newsstand in London.

Photo: Reuters

And although some polls show the public

is friendly to Charles

, opposition and apathy toward the monarchy is growing.

In a recent study by the National Center for Social Research, only 29% of respondents thought the monarchy was “very important,” the lowest level in the center's 40 years of research on the topic.

The opposition was greatest among young people.

Continuing to be relevant is part of what makes Charles's legacy and succession such pressing issues.

Maintaining at least the appearance of vitality may be key for leaders to gain and maintain power.

The palace made sure to clarify that the king would step away from his public duties during treatment, but would continue to attend to other duties of state.

What is the line of succession to the throne of the British royal family?

The death of Prince Philip and the recent health problems of Queen Elizabeth II ignited speculation about the succession to the British crown.

Trapped by sexual scandals and accusations of racism, the royal family must resolve a question that has been circulating in Buckingham for some time: after the death of the queen, who will be king?

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Credits

Texts / Juan Decima

Photography Editing / Luis Miño

Development / Ariel Katena

Graphic Production / Valeria Castresana

General Edition / Pablo Javier Blanco

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Responsible Editor: Ricardo Kirschbaum

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In the case of Charles, the succession

has already been set for a long time

: next in line is his son William, the Prince of Wales.

But the king's illness makes William's preparation more crucial at a time when he

is also caring for his wife Kate

, Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery.

The news of Carlos's health was met with great understanding in a country where

3 million people live with cancer

, according to Macmillan Cancer Support, a London-based charity.

On average, it reports, a person is diagnosed with cancer in the UK every 90 seconds.

According to the National Health Service, around 1,000 new cases of cancer are detected every day.

The fact that the king has joined those ranks and - crucially for a British monarch - has shared that vulnerability with the world, for some heralds

a new era of transparency

in an age of social media and misinformation.

Translation: Elisa Carnelli

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2024-02-07

By revealing that he has cancer, Charles III breaks with centuries of royal tradition

There's a lot we still don't know

A tendency to limit information

How much right do the British people have to know?

What is the line of succession to the throne of the British royal family?

Charles, Prince of Wales.

William, Duke of Cambridge

George, Prince of Cambridge

Charlotte, Princess of Cambridge

Louis, Prince of Cambridge

Henry, Duke of Sussex

Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor

Lilibet Diana Mounbatten-Windsor

Andrew, Duke of York

Beatrice, Princess of York

Eugenie, Princess of York

Augustus Philip Hawke Brooksbank

Edward, Earl of Wessex

James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn

Luisa Mountbatten-Windsor, Lady

Anne of Great Britain, Princess Royal

Peter Phillips

Savannah Phillips

Phillips Island

Zara Tindall

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