King Charles Comforted by Wife in Breach of Royal Hospital Protocol

Photo: Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Childhood fairy tales suggest that being a king is about living in a cool castle, swinging a sword around, and getting to do whatever you want, whenever you want. But King Charles III has repeatedly demonstrated that these days being a British royal is actually about enduring public humiliation, attending infuriating formal events, and adhering to bizarre rules that poison all of your family relationships.

Now, after 16 months on the job, Charles has had enough. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes reports that “King Charles III broke royal protocol in dramatic fashion Friday morning by going into the hospital with his wife by his side.”

Yes, this 75-year-old bad-boy monarch said to hell with the rule book and let his wife, Queen Camilla, accompany him to his treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Plebs may see escorting your partner to a medical procedure as one of the most basic spousal duties. But as ITV’s royal editor, Chris Ship, explained on X, this is simply not done among Britain’s royals:

Here’s footage of Queen Camilla emerging from the London Clinic after comforting her husband of 18 years like some commoner:

Scandalous!

This isn’t the only time in recent days that the royals have dared to acknowledge they are just human beings who have affection for each other and occasionally require medical attention. On January 17, Kensington Palace said Kate Middleton would undergo “planned abdominal surgery.” Within two hours Buckingham Palace announced that the king would be treated at the same hospital for an enlarged prostate, noting that the condition affects “thousands of men each year.” The princess of Wales is still in the hospital recovering from her successful surgery, and she received a visit from her father-in-law ahead of his own procedure.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday, “His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public-health awareness.”

Charles taking a modern approach to his own health care means more Britons may seek out life-saving cancer screenings. But it also means the king’s subjects now know his wife cares about him. Is it really worth it?