King Charles III was hospitalized Thursday after suffering what aides called side effects from his treatment for cancer.
As a result, the king’s appointments for Friday were canceled, according to The U.K. Sun.
Charles was first diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024.
“Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary program will also be rescheduled,” the Thursday statement said.
“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
The visit to The London Clinic was made in a car, not an emergency vehicle, the palace said.
A palace representative said Charles had been scheduled to visit Birmingham Friday for four events.
“He very much hopes that they can be rescheduled in due course and offers his deepest apologies to all those who had worked so hard to make the planned visit possible,” the statement said.
A palace source called the king’s trip to The London Clinic a “most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction,” according to the BBC.
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Queen Camilla attended an event in Wembley on Thursday. She did not go to the hospital with her husband.
Robert Hardman, who has written about the royal family, said the incident was a rare reminder of the king’s condition.
“You think, here’s the King doing what he likes doing, which is being out and about,” he said Friday.
“This is a sort of reminder that this is a head of state who is undergoing treatment for cancer,” he said.
On Friday, the king waved to the crowd gathered around his Clarence House residence as he drove off, according to the Associated Press.
“We were horrified when we heard the news yesterday,” tourist Julian Mati said, per Time.
“We had come down to the palace today to take pictures, but we never imagined we would see the king. To see him smiling and waving, it’s such a relief.”
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