King Charles just shared a rare health update amid his cancer diagnosis. The monarch spoke about his diagnosis on Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer broadcast in a prerecorded message on Dec. 12, 2025.
“Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders,’ my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year,” the King said in the message. “This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the fifty percent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.
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King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024 and has been regularly undergoing treatment. “I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming,” the King admitted in the message. He emphasized that a “community of care” surrounding patients and healthcare workers had been crucial in improving conditions.
Related: Dying Charles Planning His ‘Last Christmas’ With the Royal Family Amid Reports His ‘Health Isn’t the Best’
“Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives,” he said, citing statistics such as when bowel cancer is caught at its earliest stage, about nine in 10 people survive at least five years. He emphasized that a particular statistic that “troubles [him] deeply,” is that nine million people in the U.K. are currently not up to date with their recommended screenings, pointing out that “nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed.”
“I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment,” he continued. “Compassion must be paired with action,” he said, while also telling viewers to take up early screening, “Your — or the life of someone you love — may depend upon it.”
The message comes after reports King Charles is preparing to celebrate his “Last Christmas” with the royal family. Us Weekly reported from a source that “Charles prioritizes duty, but he’s also a family man who knows his time is precious. He wants a special last Christmas in case it’s his last.”
The King is set to join the rest of the family for their annual Christmas walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning, will record his speech to air later that day, and afterwards will spend the rest of the day with the family. “Nothing would stop Charles from doing that,” a source said about the speech. “He will do everything expected of him and more. His health isn’t the best. They’re taking it day by day.”
