Is 
cancer now ‘by Royal Appointment‘?
Suddenly, our Royal Family is showing the reality that ‘one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetimes’.
Cancer is no respecter of birth, or lifestyle, and both King Charles and the Princess of Wales, are experiencing what so many now face – a devastating cancer diagnosis for a family member. In their case, the father figure and a beloved daughter-in-law.
A cancer diagnosis is never easy, but for the ‘Royal family, there is some small consolation in the fact that there are no worries about waiting lists. Neither will they face annoying delays, canceled appointments, treatment hod-ups, etc.
In fact, the spin-off for improvements in treatment for every cancer patient will, hopefully, be far-reaching, and we will experience more improvements in treatment; improvements which are long overdue, according to the recent shocking report stating the UK is 15 years behind other countries in its cancer services.
Treatment Pathway
Both Kate and King Charles have probably found events moving so fast, that they have hardly had time to absorb their diagnosis before they are plunged into the assembly line of treatment.
But – and it is a big but – the question is exactly what type of over 200 different types of cancer they each have – and here it seems the Buckingham Palace Press Office has missed a trick.
What does everyone want to know?
If you have had cancer, you know that everyone wants to know what type of over 200 different varieties it is. And however much the Palace Press office asks for privacy, sadly this won’t happen; it is human nature to be curious. The world’s press wants to know, and keep on trying to find out. It comes with the territory, and my fear is that they will go on trying every trick in the book until it is announced.
The Royal family are going to have to acknowledge this, and come clean. Otherwise my fear is that there will be a repeat of the dreadful incident in 2012, when an Australian media outlet played a trick on a nurse at King Edward VII’s hospital, got her to talk on the radio, and then she committed suicide.
Princess Anne is an extremely shrewed woman, and fully aware of the value of the monarchy, and how to take advantage of its ‘magic’. Perhaps the Palace might ask for her sage advice in this situation? I remember a friend telling me he had asked HRH to open an event he was running for charity, and her explanation of what it would cost his small charity to host her.
When a Royal comes to call
The Princess gave him a breakdown of how much it cost to host her attendance, from the cost of refreshments for all the security staff, Police, etc., to having to supply a bouquet. A lot of staff time would be taken up with all the behind-the-scenes organisation that would be needed, from liaison with local Police, to the authorities that have to be informed. The list went on and on.
The Princess used her presence in a very practical way, when she accepted a role in Save the Children, and very effectively put what had been a small charity on the world map. Every year The Charity Commission issue a list of charities, and what they earn. Last year Save the Children came top of the list for contributions received, with a whopping £294,000,000.
So, whichever of the 200-odd cancers the Royals have, any charity associated with it must be desperate for this to be acknowledged, as they think of the donations that concerned people would donate.
But, a Palace spokesperson has said: “We will not be sharing any further private medical information. The princess has a right to medical privacy as we all do.” if they think that is going to stop intrusive prying – they need their heads examining.
But – Kate has one benefit that almost none of us have. Her husband has been able to take time off to support her, and that will help enormously in her recovery.
UK is 15 years behind the rest of the World
Previously Royals did get cancer, but the public was content to be told they “had been treated in such-and-such a hospital, and are recovering on one of the Royal estates, All kept very low-key.
Today, this latest news has probably done more to help the UK’s cancer community than anything else. Underfunded to a massive degree, recently it was announced that UK cancer care is lagging 15 years behind other major countries because of a lack of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Here, treatment wasn’t tailored to the individual. When I was being treated, I came out in blood-filled blisters as a reaction to Tamoxifen (a cancer drug). These popped out all over my body. I was told “it’s your age”, and frowned on when I protested that I was sure that wasn’t right.
So I went abroad for treatment, and when I returned I was ostracised by staff at my London hospital. Although I was cured of the horrible blood blisters, no-one asked me how that had been done. Staff here are overwhelmed with work, and don’t have time.
Evidence
For the two papers, published in The Lancet Oncology and part-funded by Cancer Research UK, an international team of researchers examined data from over 780,000 people with cancer diagnosed between 2012 and 2017 in four comparable countries (Australia, Canada, Norway and the UK). Eight cancer types were included: oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal, liver, pancreatic, lung and ovarian cancer.
Looking at the official photo of Kate today, it is obvious from her wan look that she is finding treatment pretty grueling, as we all do. But, hopefully having to treat two Royal patients with care and compassion might make the oncologists look again at treatment regimes, and more helpful and compassionate care will be the result.
Treatment can be harsh, and a shock to the system, with little time for staff to deal with the side effects that the cancer drugs produce. Abroad staff seemed more clued up about these, and up-to-date with remedies to counter side effects. And I certainly don’t think any French doctor would dare tell a female patient of a certain age, “it’s your age”.
Bet Kate isn’t brushed off like this!