King Charles says cancer diagnosis has shown him 'the very best of humanity'
Britain's King Charles speaks with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and ballroom dancer Amy Dowden during a reception in Buckingham Palace, London, Britain, April 30, 2025. Andrew Matthews/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla speak with presenter Lorraine Kelly and the members of the Change + Check Choir, during a reception in Buckingham Palace, London, Britain, April 30, 2025. Andrew Matthews/Pool via REUTERS
King Charles says cancer diagnosis has shown him 'the very best of humanity'
LONDON - Britain's King Charles on Wednesday said his cancer diagnosis had been an experience that showed him "the very best of humanity", in a personal message celebrating the work of cancer support groups and charities.
Buckingham Palace said in February 2024 that Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer, detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
He has been receiving treatment since and returned to public duties a year ago. Although updates on his condition have been rare, a Buckingham Palace source said in December that the treatment had been moving in a positive direction.
Charles used a message to attendees at a reception dedicated to the work of the cancer community to share his experiences of the disease.
"Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones," he said in the message published by the palace.
"But as one among those statistics myself, I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity."
Charles, 76, thanked charities for their work to raise funds for research, and reflected on the value of the human connection they offer patients in times of need.
"It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years," Charles said.
"And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits - that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
6 detained for abuse of patients in Bulgaria nursing home
A medic transporting an elderly person outside an illegal hospice in the Bulgarian village of Yagoda on June 9. PHOTO: REUTERS Six people have been arrested in a Bulgarian village on suspicion of beating and drugging patients in a private nursing home for older people and those with dementia or other mental health problems, the authorities said on June 9 . As elsewhere in Europe, incomes in Bulgaria have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of elderly and nursing care, and a few providers have exploited vulnerable patients with sub-standard or even abusive levels of care. 'The scariest thing we saw was people who were subjected to constant physical abuse – tied up, beaten, there is also evidence of drugging,' Mr Ivan Krastev, deputy minister of labour and social policy, told Nova TV. On June 6 , police raided a hospice with 75 residents in the central village of Yagoda, arresting five people on suspicion of mistreating patients and another on June 8. They are charged with unlawful imprisonment and obstruction of free movement, failure to provide due assistance to a person in danger, physical violence, and causing bodily harm, district prosecutor Tanya Dimitrova told reporters on June 9 . Eleven patients were taken to a nearby state hospital, while the remaining 64 were either taken in by relatives or accommodated in state-run facilities. Bulgarian media reported that some patients had been found with their feet tied, under the influence of narcotics or locked in rooms without proper hygiene, bedding or contact with the outside world. Bulgarian media reported that some patients had been found with their feet tied, under the influence of narcotics or locked in rooms without proper hygiene, bedding or contact with the outside world. PHOTOS: REUTERS 'They lock us up like dogs. They give us two slices of bread and in this heat they don't open the door to let air in, as they're afraid we'll escape,' 70-year-old patient Milka Raeva told BTV TV. 'They were four very difficult years. God helped me. Many people died hungry, without doctors, with wounds, tied up.' Bulgarian media reported that the facility was charging 990 levs (S$744) per month per room. Another illegal nursing home in Govedartsi with 23 patients was closed down on June 9 . REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Six detained for abuse of patients in Bulgaria nursing home
A picture shows the tied feet of an elderly person at an illegal hospice in the village of Yagoda, Bulgaria, in this image released to Reuters on June 9, 2025. Bulgarian Ministry of Justice/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES A picture shows the bedroom of an illegal hospice in the village of Yagoda, Bulgaria, in this image released to Reuters on June 9, 2025. Bulgarian Ministry of Justice/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES A medic transports an elderly person on a stretcher outside an illegal hospice in the village of Yagoda, Bulgaria, in this image released to Reuters on June 9, 2025. Bulgarian Ministry of Justice/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. Six detained for abuse of patients in Bulgaria nursing home SOFIA - Six people have been arrested in a Bulgarian village on suspicion of beating and drugging patients in a private nursing home for older people and those with dementia or other mental health problems, authorities said on Monday. As elsewhere in Europe, incomes in Bulgaria have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of elderly and nursing care, and a few providers have exploited vulnerable patients with sub-standard or even abusive levels of care. "The scariest thing we saw was people who were subjected to constant physical abuse - tied up, beaten, there is also evidence of drugging," Ivan Krastev, deputy minister of labour and social policy, told Nova TV. On Friday, police raided a hospice with 75 residents in the central village of Yagoda, arresting five people on suspicion of mistreating patients and another on Sunday. They are charged with unlawful imprisonment and obstruction of free movement, failure to provide due assistance to a person in danger, physical violence, and causing bodily harm, district prosecutor Tanya Dimitrova told reporters on Monday. Eleven patients were taken to a nearby state hospital, while the remaining 64 were either taken in by relatives or accommodated in state-run facilities. Bulgarian media reported that some patients had been found with their feet tied, under the influence of narcotics or locked in rooms without proper hygiene, bedding or contact with the outside world. "They lock us up like dogs. They give us two slices of bread and in this heat they don't open the door to let air in, as they're afraid we'll escape," 70-year-old patient Milka Raeva told BTV TV. "They were four very difficult years. God helped me. Many people died hungry, without doctors, with wounds, tied up." Bulgarian media reported that the facility was charging 990 levs ($580) per month per room. Another illegal nursing home in Govedartsi with 23 patients was closed down on Monday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
NIH scientists speak out over estimated $12 billion in Trump funding cuts
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Gateway Center is seen in the rain in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Anna Culbertson, a former employee at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, sits for a portrait in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Jenna Norton, an employee at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, sits for a portrait in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Ian Morgan, an employee at the National Institute for General Medical Sciences, sits for a portrait in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases employee Jenna Norton, National Institute for General Medical Sciences employee Ian Morgan and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases former employee Anna Culbertson sit for a portrait in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Dozens of scientists, researchers and other employees at the U.S. National Institutes of Health issued a rare public rebuke Monday criticizing the Trump administration for major spending cuts that 'harm the health of Americans and people across the globe,' politicize research and 'waste public resources.' More than 60 current employees sent their letter to NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and members of Congress who oversee NIH. Bhattacharya is scheduled to testify Tuesday at the U.S. Senate appropriations committee about his agency's budget. Overall, more than 340 current and recently terminated NIH employees signed the letter, about 250 of them anonymously. In their letter, NIH staff members said the agency had terminated 2,100 research grants totaling about $9.5 billion and an additional $2.6 billion in contracts since President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20. The contracts often support research, from covering equipment to nursing staff working on clinical trials. These terminations "throw away years of hard work and millions of dollars" and put patient health at risk, the letter said. NIH clinical trials "are being halted without regard to participant safety, abruptly stopping medications or leaving participants with unmonitored device implants." Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In prior remarks, Bhattacharya has pledged support for Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again agenda, and he has said that means focusing the federal government's "limited resources" directly on combating chronic diseases. At his Senate confirmation hearings in March, Bhattacharya said he would ensure scientists working at NIH and funded by the agency have the necessary resources to meet its mission. NIH is the world's largest public funder of biomedical research and has long enjoyed bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers. The Trump administration has proposed cutting $18 billion, or 40%, from NIH's budget next year, which would leave the agency with $27 billion. Nearly 5,000 NIH employees and contractors have been laid off under Kennedy's restructuring of U.S. health agencies, according to NIH staff. Dr. Jenna Norton, a program director within NIH's division of kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases, was one of 69 current employees who signed the letter as of early Monday. She said speaking out publicly was worth the risk to her career and family. "I am much more worried about the risks of not speaking up," Norton said. "There are very real concerns that we're being asked to do likely illegal activities, and certainly unethical activities that breach our rules." About 20 NIH employees who were recently terminated as probationary workers or "subject to reductions in force" added their names to the letter. In the letter, Norton and other NIH employees asked Bhattacharya to restore grants that were delayed or terminated for political reasons, where officials ignored peer review to "cater to political whims." They wrote that Bhattacharya had failed to uphold his legal duty to spend congressionally appropriated funds. One program director at the NIH's National Cancer Institute, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said she has repeatedly been asked to cancel research grants for no valid reason and in violation of agency rules. She said she fears she could become the target of lawsuits from grantees challenging those decisions. Dr. Benjamin Feldman, a staff scientist and core director at NIH's Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said he and other researchers want to work with Bhattacharya on reversing the cuts and restoring the NIH as a "beacon for science around the world." "This is really a hit to the whole enterprise of biomedical research in the United States," Feldman said. Dr. Ian Morgan, a postdoctoral fellow at the NIH, signed the letter and said he has heard from university researchers about patients losing access to novel cancer treatments in clinical trials due to the uncertainty over NIH funding. He also worries about the long-term effect from gutting NIH's investment in basic science research that can lead to lifesaving treatments years later. The NIH employees, based in Bethesda, Maryland, named their dissent the "Bethesda Declaration," modeled after Bhattacharya's Great Barrington Declaration in 2020 that called on public health officials to roll back lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our hope is that by modeling ourselves after the Great Barrington Declaration that maybe he'll see himself in our dissent," Norton said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
