Health
Cancer diagnoses in the British royal family over the years: 'The great equalizer'
King Charles III, 75, has received a cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced in a statement on Monday.
The cancer was discovered when the king underwent a routine procedure on Jan. 17 to treat an enlarged prostate.
The palace as of now has not confirmed the type or stage of cancer, saying only that it is not prostate cancer. The king began treatments on Monday.
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Other British royals have fought their own cancer battles over the years.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York: Breast and skin cancer
Most recently, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, announced on Jan. 21 that she was diagnosed with skin cancer just a month after receiving breast cancer treatments.
Left to right: Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, King George VI and Sarah Ferguson are among the British royals who have been diagnosed with cancer. (Getty Images)
“I have been taking some time to myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after I was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery,” Ferguson, who is 64, wrote in an Instagram post.
“It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was.”
Queen Elizabeth II: Bone marrow cancer
Queen Elizabeth II battled myeloma, a painful bone marrow cancer, during the last years of her life, according to “Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait,” an upcoming biography by Gyles Brandreth.
“I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life,” Brandreth wrote in the book.
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Hilary Fordwich, a royal expert based in Maryland, noted that Queen Elizabeth loved to ride horses and did so up to 93 years of age.
“With her bone marrow cancer, she began to suffer mobility issues, which curtailed her riding,” Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
The queen died in Sept. 2022 at the age of 96.
Duke of Windsor: Throat cancer
The Duke of Windsor, who served as King Edward VIII for only a year before abdicating the throne in December 1936 in order to marry the divorcee Wallis Simpson, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1971.
King Charles III, 75, received a cancer diagnosis after he underwent a routine procedure on Jan. 17 to treat an enlarged prostate. (Getty Images)
The Duke, a longtime smoker, reportedly received cobalt therapy after his diagnosis.
He died in Paris, France, on May 28, 1972, at the age of 77.
Queen Elizabeth I (Queen Mother): Colon and breast cancer
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from Dec. 11, 1936 until Feb. 6, 1952.
In 1966, Elizabeth was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery to remove a tumor, as biographer William Shawcross wrote in “The Queen Mother: The Official Biography.”
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In 1984, the queen received a breast cancer diagnosis and had a lumpectomy.
She went on to live a long life, dying on March 30, 2002, at 101 years old.
King George VI: Lung cancer
King George VI, who took over the throne on Dec. 11, 1936 until his death, was diagnosed with lung cancer in Sept. 1951.
“He was a chain smoker and had been advised by his doctors to smoke to help ‘smooth his lungs’ given his stutter,” said Fordwich.
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986) and the Duke of Windsor (1894-1972) are pictured in Nassau, the Bahamas, circa 1942. The Duke was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1971. (Getty Images)
The longtime smoker underwent surgery to remove his left lung, according to The Independent.
After an initial period of recovery, the king’s health declined and he succumbed to the disease on Feb. 6, 1952, at 56 years old.
King Edward VII: Basal cell carcinoma
King Edward VII, who reigned from Jan. 22, 1901 until his death in 1910, was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, in 1907.
His cancer, which was found on the skin next to his nose, was reportedly cured with radium.
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After suffering additional health issues later in life, Edward died at 68 years of age on May 6, 1910, after a series of heart attacks.
Princess Victoria: Breast cancer
The daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Princess Victoria, who was born on Nov. 21, 1840, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1898.
The mother of eight died of the disease on Aug. 5, 1901, at the age of 60.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, announced on Jan. 21 that she was diagnosed with skin cancer just a month after receiving breast cancer treatments. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis)
“There is no family left untouched by cancer,” said Dr. Nathan Goodyear, the medical director at Brio Medical, a holistic, integrative cancer healing center in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“Cancer knows no preferences,” he told Fox News Digital. “Whether left or right, conservative or liberal, upper class or lower class, cancer shows no leaning.”
Likewise, cancer knows no difference between those of royal descent and those of non-royal descent, he added.
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“Despite access to the most innovative medical care and brightest minds in the world, royal families still encounter cancer,” Goodyear said.
“When it comes to demographics, cancer is the great equalizer.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023. Earlier this week, Her Majesty the Queen opened Maggie’s Royal Free, a new cancer support center at Royal Free Hospital in London. (Getty Images)
“Yet, whether royal or non-royal, look up, pray and take heart — because hope is present, and when hope is present, healing is possible.”
Earlier this week, Her Majesty the Queen opened Maggie’s Royal Free, a new cancer support center at Royal Free Hospital in London, as announced on the royal family’s website.
Maggie’s provides free care and support for cancer patients, their friends and families in the U.K. and online.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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