King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer in early February, just 17 months into his reign. Buckingham Palace announced that the 75-year-old monarch has suspended public engagements to undergo treatment. Queen Camilla, Prince William, took over some of the king’s duties, and Prince Harry rushed to the U.K. to visit his father.

Charles is not the only royal dealing with health issues. Just weeks before news broke about the king’s cancer, Kate Middleton underwent a “planned” abdominal procedure. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was not seen in public for months and the palace offered few updates on her health, leading to wild speculation about her condition and whereabouts. The “Where is Kate Middleton” saga ended on March 22, when the princess shared devastating news: she has also been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing “a course of preventative chemotherapy.”

Here’s a roundup, which we’ll keep updated, of the latest news about the king and the princess’s health, and how Britain’s royal family is handling the situation.

What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?

We don’t know. On January 17 Kensington Palace announced that the 42-year-old Princess of Wales had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” at The London Clinic the previous day.

The statement said she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter” and expressed “her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”

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At the time, a royal source told CNN that Kate Middleton’s condition was noncancerous. But as the princess explained in a video posted March 22, that diagnosis changed.

“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” she said. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”

Kate is 42 and has three children with Prince William: George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5.

The princess said that the news came as “huge shock,” but, “I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits.”

What’s the latest news on Kate Middleton’s health?

Since her cancer announcement Kate Middleton has not appeared in any photos or videos posted by royal social media accounts. On May 28, The Daily Mail said it “understands that the princess has been seen out and about more with her family in recent weeks, which will be taken as a positive sign by many.” But the newspaper did not publish any photos of the princess, or speak to anyone who has spotted her.

Kensington Palace has released only one official health update. On May 22 a palace spokesman told the BBC, “The princess is not expected to return to work until it’s cleared by her medical team.” The palace was responding to speculation that she might return to work soon following a post on William and Kate’s social media feed about a new report from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

After taking several weeks off to support his wife, Prince William returned to public duties on April 18 with a visit to a food charity. William mentioned Kate while visiting a high school on April 25, telling a staff member, “I am sorry Catherine can’t be here as well. She would have loved to.”

While greeting members of the public on April 30 at James’ Place Newcastle in England a woman asked Prince William “Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?” He replied, “We’re all doing well, thank you.” The woman asked, “And obviously Catherine?” and William said, “We’re all doing well.”

When asked if the princess is “getting any better” while meeting with World War II veterans in Portsmouth, England on June 5, William said, “Yes,” adding, “She would’ve loved to be here today.”

Children’s clothing designer Amaia Arrieta, who frequently dresses William and Kate’s children, commented on the princess’s condition in a piece published by The Telegraph on May 2:

‘Dressing the royals gives me so much pride, I really do care about how they look,’ reflects Arrieta. ‘I’m heartbroken at the moment, I think they are going through hell, I hope they will be back. It’s really personal.’

Vanity Fair reported on May 28 that the princess’s treatment is going well:

Sources close to the princess have told VF that the royal, who is going through a course of preventative chemotherapy, has “turned a corner” with her treatment in recent weeks and is feeling a lot better.

“It has been a great relief that she is tolerating the medication and is actually doing a lot better,” says a family friend. “It has, of course, been a very challenging and worrying time. Everyone has rallied around her—William, her parents, and her sister and brother.”

But in late May, the Daily Beast reported that we may not see Kate in public for many months:

One source said they do not expect to see Kate back in any kind of public-facing role in the medium term, adding it was possible she would remain absent from public life for the rest of the year.

The source said: “Lots of people involved in planning need to know what all the principals are doing a long way in advance. I am told that Kate’s diary for this year is empty. There is nothing planned. She may not appear in public for the rest of the year.”

(The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported Thursday that Kate’s friends have told him “we might not see Catherine again until the autumn—and only then if she has recovered fully.”)

What kind of cancer does King Charles have?

We don’t know the type of cancer Charles has, or its stage. Buckingham Palace announced the king’s diagnosis on February 5, a week after he was released from a London hospital following unrelated treatment for an enlarged prostate. The statement read:

During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.

His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.

The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.

Palace officials confirmed Charles does not have prostate cancer, according to the New York Times, but “made clear that they would not issue regular updates on the king’s condition, and they asked reporters not to attempt to contact those involved in his treatment.”

It was unusual for the king to reveal he was being treated for an enlarged prostate, as the royals are extremely private about their health (for example, Queen Elizabeth II’s official cause of death at the age of 96 was listed as only “old age” on her death certificate).

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may have disclosed a small detail during a BBC radio interview days after Charles’s diagnosis. “Thankfully, this has been caught early,” he said. “And now everyone will be wishing him that he gets the treatment that he needs and makes a full recovery.”

What treatment is the king receiving?

Charles began outpatient treatment on Monday, February 5. No further details have been released.

Is Charles still able to perform his royal duties?

The king initially stopped appearing at public events as he was undergoing treatment. But the Times reported that he was still conducting some royal business:

Palace officials said the king would continue to carry out other duties, including his weekly meeting with the prime minister, as well as the daily pile of paperwork he completes as Britain’s head of state. Officials said there were no plans to appoint counselors of state to act in his place — a procedure that could signal that the sovereign was unable to fulfill his duties because of illness.

On March 6 Buckingham Palace shared a photo of King Charles on a video call with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

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A day later the palace posted more photos showing the king conducting royal duties in person. He was photographed greeting Samba Mamadou Ba, the ambassador from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Nourredine Yazid, the ambassador from the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. Charles also met with Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt earlier in the week.

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Have there been any updates on Charles’s health?

On April 27, Buckingham Palace said King Charles’s progress has been encouraging, so he is resuming public engagements — though it won’t be a full return to royal duties. Per the BBC:

“It is too early to say” for how much longer his treatment will continue, the palace said.

It added that doctors were “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery”.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed, but the King’s medical team are “sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties”.

On Tuesday, April 30 Charles and Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London to show their support for cancer research and highlight the importance of getting an early diagnosis. (It is not the facility where the king is receiving treatment.) The king was smiling and looked healthy during the visit, and told one patient, “I’m alright, thank you,” when asked about his health.

King Charles has appeared at a number of public events in recent weeks, including the unveiling of a very red official portrait some compared to the Vigo the Carpathian painting from Ghostbusters 2:

In late May, shortly after U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a parliamentary election for July 4, Buckingham Palace said the royals would cancel most public engagements to avoid distracting from the campaign.

King Charles took his first overseas trip since his diagnosis on June 6. He crossed the English Channel with Queen Camilla to take part in commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.

How has Queen Camilla responded to Charles’s diagnosis?

Queen Camilla, who broke royal protocol by accompanying her husband to the hospital for his prostate procedure, is expected to continue her usual schedule of public engagements during his cancer treatment.

After filling in for Charles at some official engagements she took her regularly scheduled vacation at the beginning of March — which, naturally, outraged some people. Camilla returned to royal duties on March 11.

How has Prince William responded to his father’s diagnosis?

Hours before Charles’s diagnosis was made public, it was announced that Prince William would return to public duties on February 7. He had taken time off to support his wife after her surgery.

Prince William attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on the morning of February 8. Later that evening he showed up to a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, which Tom Cruise also attended.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” William said at the gala.

“It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all,” he joked.

How has Prince Harry responded to his father’s diagnosis?

Though Prince Harry’s relationship with his father has been rocky since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and released a tell-all memoir last year, Charles called Harry to break the news before the news was made public, according to a spokesperson for the prince and his wife Meghan Markle.

Harry immediately took an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to London to be with the king. Markle and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, did not accompany Harry to the U.K.

On February 6 the prince was spotted arriving at Clarence House, the king and queen’s London residence, where Charles was resting following outpatient treatment, per The Guardian. A short time after reuniting with Harry, Charles and Camilla were driven to Buckingham Palace. About ten minutes later, a helicopter took off from the palace grounds and later landed at the king’s Sandringham estate.

Harry spent the night in a London hotel, not a royal residence, and did not see his brother William, according to the Daily Mail. The prince left the U.K. a day later.

Harry talked about his father’s diagnosis in an interview with Good Morning America that aired on February 16. The prince was in Whistler, British Columbia touring the site of the 2025 Invictus Games.

“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry said. “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”

Harry declined to give more details on Charles’s health, saying that “stays between me and him.” But he revealed that he intends to visit his father again soon. “I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K., or back to the U.K., and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he said.

When asked if Charles’s illness might have a “reunifying effect” on the family, Harry replied, “Absolutely. Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Throughout all of these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis — again, the strength of the family unit coming together,” Harry said. “So, yeah, I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.”

What happens if Charles can’t perform his duties at all?

If King Charles is temporarily unable to conduct his constitutional duties, two “counselors of state” can be appointed to carry out official business. CNN has more details:

Two counselors can be appointed to act on the monarch’s behalf through what’s known as a letters patent and help keep the state ticking over. They would be authorized to sign documents, attend Privy Council meetings, and receive new ambassadors, but not perform some of the most important constitutional roles, such as appointing a Prime Minister. CNN understands there are no current plans to appoint any counselors.

Usually, the counsellor of state position can go to the monarch’s spouse and the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. After Prince Andrew and Prince Harry ceased being “working royals,” Charles added two of his siblings to the list in 2022. Since Harry no longer resides in the U.K., the following people are eligible to fill this role: Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne.

Will King Charles abdicate?

That does not appear to be under consideration at the moment, and there is a step between appointing counsellors of state and Charles permanently giving up the throne.

If the monarch is completely unable to fulfill their duties, the person next in line to the throne, in this case Prince William, could fully assume those powers as regent. Per CNN:

For that to happen, there has to be medical evidence “that the Sovereign is by reason of infirmity of mind or body incapable for the time being of performing the royal functions” or “is for some definite cause not available for the performance of those functions.”

A panel of four needs to be satisfied with the evidence by a majority vote. That panel consists of the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice of England, the Master of the Rolls, and The Queen. They would need to declare their decision in writing and would also declare if or when the King is ready to resume his duties. In the meantime, Prince William would act in his name.

Once Charles recovers, William could relinquish the role of regent with the declaration of a “cessation of incapacity.”

Who is next in the British line of succession?

The royal website features a list of the next 24 people in line to the throne. From the top, the order is Prince William; his children George, Charlotte, and Louis; then Prince Harry; his children Archie and Lilibet; and Prince Andrew.