Speaking from London, UK correspondent Gavin Grey told The Front Page, the Herald’s daily news podcast, that taking a step back from the public is not how the King wanted his year to go.
“He is, all my sources are saying, incredibly frustrated. He’s frustrated because he served as the monarchy in waiting, as it were, the longest period in history of any person waiting to take over the throne.
“To be 74 and wait all that time, almost like a trainee, must be incredibly frustrating when there are things you want to achieve. He started hitting the ground running. He’s desperate to get around the Commonwealth. He’s desperate to visit New Zealand and Australia as their King, but now that could be in jeopardy or postponed at least.
“And he is so frustrated by that and so frustrated that just over a year since the coronation, he’s had to immediately put the brakes on so many plans.”
The news comes at the same time that Catherine, Princess of Wales has had to step back from duties for several months, after having planned abdominal surgery in January. With Princes Harry and Andrew out of the question, the pool of senior working royals has shrunk for the months ahead.
“[It] really puts a lot of pressure on Prince William, who’s only just gone back to work because he’s been supporting his wife and children, but also on the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, to do a lot more of the heavy lifting, and I think that’s going to put a lot of strain on them, and be so disappointing for the King.”
While Queen Camilla will also be able to pick up duties, the need for her to be London-based means that King Charles will either recuperate on his own at his preferred Sandringham Estate, or have to stick to Clarence House in London during this time, adding to the difficulty of the situation.
As for what the future holds, Grey said it is currently too early to determine if King Charles will make a rumoured tour of the Pacific for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October.
“Make no mistake, the order in which the countries are visited matters in the Commonwealth, and he does not want to leave it too long before seeing New Zealand and Australia again.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about what this cancer diagnosis means for King Charles and the wider Royal Family, including Prince Harry as he rushes back to London to see his father.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined Newstalk ZB in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
