King Charles meets fellow cancer patients in hospital and issues emotional statement

The King told a cancer patient she was "extraordinary" and "very brave" for busily working on her laptop while undergoing chemotherapy during an unannounced visit to Guy's Hospital in London. Charles, who has refused to slow down despite undergoing regular cancer treatment himself, met patients being treated at the hospital's Cancer Centre on Monday afternoon.

Raymond Burgess, 69, from South London, told the King how his chemotherapy treatment had left him unable to taste certain foods. He said: "All the staff have been fantastic, all so welcoming and lovely. It's very comfortable here. Just can't taste anything, apart from lemons and limes mostly."

The King replied: "Doesn't help with eating!"

One patient, who did not want to be named, told Charles, 77, how she had brought her laptop into the centre to carry on working while wearing a cold cap for her breast cancer chemotherapy treatment.

The monarch said, "That's extraordinary. Very brave. I wish you all the best."

The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer at the start of 2024, and in December 2025, the monarch told the nation that he had received the green light to reduce his treatment plan.

Buckingham Palace said Charles had responded "exceptionally well" to treatment and that his doctors have moved him into a "precautionary phase".

He took less than three months away from public-facing duties after his initial diagnosis, but soon threw himself back into work and resumed international travel, including a gruelling trip to Australia and Samoa.

During the visit on Monday, Charles tried his hand at operating a revolutionary surgical robot at the world-leading cancer hospital, by zooming into his own face on a five-pound note.

During the visit on Monday, Charles tried his hand at operating a revolutionary surgical robot at the world-leading cancer hospital, zooming in on his own face on a five-pound note.

The monarch was given a step-by-step presentation of the new fifth-generation Da Vinci Surgical System, which enables smaller and more precise incisions during bladder surgery. The robot, which is in the final stages of being approved for use by the NHS, will help to massively reduce patient operating and recovery time owing to its immense precision.

After meeting Professor Ben Challacombe, Consultant Urological Surgeon at Guy's Hospital in London, the King was offered the chance to try his hand on the operating table by controlling the robotic hands through a headset.

On display was a small model of the internal bladder, with a five-pound note placed in between it. Placing his fingers into the controls, the King struggled at first to get to grips with the mechanism saying "I think I'll have to come back after some more training."

The Da Vinci series of machines has been used on 15,000 patients in the hospital in the last 20 years and two million people worldwide. The King later remarked how the robot was a "marvellous invention".

The visit formed part of the 300th anniversary of Guy's Hospital, taking place at Guy's Cancer Centre.

Charles was taken into the Innovation Hub where he heard how scientists are using advanced data science and AI to analyse large datasets - helping discover trends, improve the accuracy of diagnoses and detect new targets for drugs.

Professor Sheeba Irshad told the King how she is developing a new type of immunotherapy treatment for breast cancers resistant to traditional chemo and radiotherapy.

On leaving the hospital, Charles greeted a crowd of over 150 patients and staff in the cancer centre's lobby.