Updated: January 17, 2024 2:05 PM EST | Originally published: January 17, 2024 11:05 AM EST
King Charles III will undergo a procedure to correct his enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace announced. The Monarch will go to the hospital next week.
“In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” a statement by Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday. “His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”
An enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is so common among men that Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City says that “all men will have an enlarged prostate if they live long enough.”
The medical condition can often make it difficult for people to urinate, and can increase the frequency to which a person has to use the restroom.
Treatment for an enlarged prostate varies based on symptoms. Medicine can help reduce the size of an enlarged prostate, according to Mount Sinai, though surgery may be necessary to remove extra prostate tissue.
Regarding King Charles’ medical history, in 2003, he had a 24-hour stay in hospital for a routine hernia operation. In 2008, King Charles had a procedure to remove a small, non-cancerous growth from his nose.
The announcement comes shortly after Kensington Palace shared that Kate, the Princess of Wales, will be hospitalized for the next ten to fourteen days after a planned abdominal surgery.