King Charles took no chances when he landed in Sydney last week. Along with his loyal wife, Queen Camilla, the 75-year-old king was accompanied by a team of medics, including two doctors and a mobile blood bank, to ensure nothing went wrong.
In an extraordinary move, King Charles stopped receiving cancer treatment for the duration of the 11-day tour, which almost didn't happen, as per BBC. Last July, the King nixed tour legs to New Zealand and Fiji after pressure from his doctors, who were worried about the effects of a long-haul flight on his cancer treatment.
Friends say King Charles was devastated to be limiting his tour, which he and Queen Camilla had been planning since the Queen passed in 2022, but would not back down on Australia.
"It's a miracle they got to this point," an insider told Woman’s Day Australia. "Charles had to negotiate hard before his doctors were comfortable about him even contemplating the trip, which is why he's got a full team and kit with him, with everything from defibrillators to bags of his own blood. It's a risky move, but there was not & a chance in hell he was going to let this illness clip his wings."
There can be no doubt it's taken its toll on King Charles, who appeared pale and somewhat “shrunken” in stature nine months into his treatment, but he was not going to miss out on what insiders believe will be his last visit to the region.
According to the source, King Charles has been assuring everyone he has communicated with that he will return to New Zealand at some point in the future. He said that he would arrive there soon, The Guardian reported.
Nevertheless, even he is aware of how improbable that will be. Simply making it through these few days has already saved him a significant amount of energy.
The itinerary that the couple had planned has been significantly reduced.
According to the insider, every conceivable situation has been accounted for, including the most catastrophic outcomes. If they hadn't, Queen Camilla would not have consented to it. She is not pleased with the fact that he has stopped receiving treatments, mainly because he has been making such remarkable advancements, which is why she asked that they always have a "hospital on wheels" with them.
As much as she adores Australia and is overjoyed by her husband's happiness there, she will be relieved when he returns to the United States. According to Woman’s Day, this will be an emotionally taxing journey despite King Charles's refusal to be pessimistic about his prognosis.
The insider said that he is acutely conscious that this might be his last trip to a location with such a significant place in his heart. His only regret is that he and Queen Camilla cannot spend more time in Australia. However, his glory days of six-week trips are over.
If anything, this trip has convinced King Charles and Camilla that it is time to leave these more extensive excursions to Prince William and Princess Kate once she is ready to travel again and has recovered from her illness.
Business Times has reached out to King Charles and Queen Camilla for comments.
