CHARLES IN HOSPITAL King Charles taken to hospital...

KING Charles has been taken to hospital after suffering side effects from his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

The monarch, 76, is now back at Clarence House after he visited hospital on Thursday afternoon.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles experienced “temporary side effects” from his cancer treatment, and he has now pulled out of a string of engagements set for Friday.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “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.

“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 programme will also be rescheduled.

“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”

The King’s hospital dash to The London Clinic was due to side effects coming after a busy work schedule, it is understood.

While Buckingham Palace has said it will not comment on the side effects, they are understood to not be uncommon with cancer patients.

The King was at home at Clarence House on Thursday evening where he was said to be in good form and continuing to work on State Papers and making calls from his study.

He had been taken to hospital by car and not by emergency services, the palace said.

It also confirmed that Queen Camilla did not join the King at hospital.

A palace spokesman said: “His Majesty was due to receive Credentials from the Ambassadors of three different nations this afternoon.

“Tomorrow, he was due to undertake four public engagements in Birmingham and is greatly disappointed to be missing them on this occasion.

“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 King’s hospital visit meant he also postponed a number of audiences he had due to hold with ambassadors at Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon.

The palace say they are not anticipating major changes to the programme but may decide to reduce his engagements.

But they expect the State Visit to Italy in April to go ahead, and doctors will consult with staff to ensure a full recovery.

A source described it as a “most minor bump in a road” for Charles’ recovery, adding that he is “very much heading in the right direction”.

A spokeswoman for Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister “wishes His Majesty the King all the very best” after his short period in hospital.

The King’s cancer journey began in January last year when he revealed he needed a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

Tests undertaken for this, at the same London clinic where Princess Kate was being treated at, revealed his cancer the following month.

It is still yet to be disclosed which form of the disease Charles is suffering from.

Earlier this month on a visit to Northern Ireland, he gave advice to cancer patients, telling them to “keep b****ring on.”

While at the Pharmacy and Pharmacology department at Ulster University, Coleraine campus, the King said to cancer patients: “What’s that Winston Churchill saying? Keep b****ring on.”

Speaking about side effects he said: “You just have to push on, don’t you.”

He hailed “amazing” research as he looked through a microscope to see how microbubbles are shaken during tests.

At one stage he was startled by the work and started shaking his own head and hands along with it.

He was particularly interested by the effect of treatment on the immune system, and asked whether pancreatic cancer was particularly hard to treat.

The King withdrew from public duty for 103 days last year, following his diagnosis.

This decision was made as a “precautionary measure” due to Charles’ diminished immune response to other diseases.

The Royal Household even copied Covid-style protocols to minimise the risk of secondary infections such as the seasonal cold or flu for the monarch.

He returned to public facing duties on April 30 last year, describing the “shock” he felt over his cancer diagnosis.

Then, in September, it was revealed his health was “heading in a very positive trajectory”.

A royal source said a brave Charles had coped with the past year with a “determination to be as public as he was able” to reassure the nation about how much he could still do.

In December, it was reported Charles’ cancer treatment would “continue into next year”, with his recovery still “moving in a positive direction”.

Despite this latest visit to the hospital, Charles is still expected to become the first British sovereign to address both houses of the Italian parliament in April.

The King and Queen’s visit, from April 7-10, had originally included a visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, but this has been removed from the schedule following the pontiff’s own health battle.

Charles, who is known for being a workaholic, had a busy March, hosting high-profile audiences with key political figures including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and outgoing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

This also included an audience with Canada’s new PM Mark Carney.

He is said to have thrived on carrying out public and state duties in recent months, seeing them as being of great benefit to his overall well-being.