Two major medical announcements relating to members of the royal family were made within two hours of one another on Wednesday, raising questions over the unusual choice of timing.
At 2:02 p.m. London time on January 18, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to hospital the previous day to undergo "planned abdominal surgery."
"The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home," the palace said, adding that the royal was not expected to return to public duties for two to three months while she recuperates.
The announcement sparked a wave of posts and questions from concerned fans on social media, as a number of media outlets made their way to the London Clinic where the royal was being treated to begin broadcast reports.
At 3:26 p.m. London time, a second medical announcement was made, this time from Buckingham Palace relating to King Charles III.
"In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate," it read. "His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King's public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."
This second statement is rare in its disclosure of the medical diagnosis given to the monarch, however, Charles is said to have been keen to release the information to raise awareness of the condition which is common in men over the age of 50.
The close succession of Charles' announcement to Kate's was unexpected, but apparently necessary.
Speaking to Sky News anchor Sarah-Jane Mee on Wednesday, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent Jack Royston noted that the monarch's diagnosis meant he would be forced to cancel engagements which would likely have caused speculation over his state of health.
"Why are both pieces of news coming out pretty much one after the other, is that just a timing thing?" Mee asked, with Royston explaining: "What I've been told is that the king has royal engagements tomorrow [Thursday] that had to be canceled, so the palace had to start telling people this was happening."
"Once they started telling people privately," he continued. "They just wanted to get that information out there. It's reassuring for the public if it comes from the palace rather than being leaked by somebody who maybe had a tangential role in a royal visit. If you allow it to come out that way then everybody panics."
Medical announcements made officially by the royal palaces about members of the royal family are rare, and are typically only made if public engagements are forced to be canceled or a hospital admittance is made which could be leaked, sparking speculation.
The last major medical announcement made by Buckingham Palace was issued on September 8, 2022, which stated that Queen Elizabeth II's doctors were "concerned for Her Majesty's health." The monarch's death was announced later that same day.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
