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tv   BBC News The Context  PBS  February 5, 2024 5:00pm-5:30pm PST

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i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". you. live from london, this is bbc news. king charles has been diagnosed with cancer. button him palace he will continue with state duties but step back from public engagements during his treatment. the palace says the cancer was identified during the king's recent trip to hospital for an enlarged prostate. they haven't said what type of cancer it is. prince harry has spoken to his father and will travel back to the u.k. in the coming days. ♪
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hello, i'm christian fraser. if you are jt joining us, welcome to our continuing coverage this evening of the breaking story from buckingham palace, the king has been treated for cancer. he will continue with state duties but will step back from public engagements during his treatment. the statement says that during the king's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. his majesty today has commenced a schedule of regular treatments during which time he's been advised by doctors to postpone public facing duties. about this period, his majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual. the king is gratel and his medical team mates with intervention made possible
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thanks to his recent procedure. he remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to return to full public duty as soon as possible. it goes on to say that his majesty has chosen to share this diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope that it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer. a spokesperson for the king has not revealed what type of cancer he has but they say it is not prostate cancer. last week, the king was discharged from hospital following surgery for an enlarged prostate, a condition the palace had described as benign. king charles was last pictured yesterday at the sunday service at the church of st. mary magdalene on the sandringham estate. it was his first public outing since his hospital stay just a week ago. there have of course been responses from all around the world and westminster. prime minister rishi sunak
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wishing his majesty a full and speedy recovery. i have no doubt he would be back to full strength in no time and i know the whole country will be wishing him well. the labor leader keir starmer saying on behalf of the labour party, i wish his majesty all the very best for his recovery. we look forward to seeing him back to swift full health. the new northern ireland first minister michelle o'neill says i'm very sorry to hear about king charles' illness and i want to wish him well in his treatment and for a full recovery. jeffrey donaldson also has his best wishes, says he hopes the king a full and speedy recovery to the king. the welsh first minister said i'm saddened to hear the news that king charles iii is facing further health challenges. my thought to them and people across wales will be with him and his family. i send my best wishes as he begins treatment for a full and
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swift recovery. in the past few minutes, the scottish first minister has been giving his reaction to the kings cancer diagnosis. >> my thoughts and my prayers to his majesty the king, wish him well for a full recovery and the return back to public life. let me also send my very best wishes and thoughts with her majesty the queen and all members of the royal family who will be deeply worried at this time. i don't think it matters if you are a member of the royal family or not. if a family member has cancer, that will always be extremely worrying indeed. i want to send my very best wishes not just on behalf of myself personally, government, but on behalf of the entire nation. christian: scottish first minister hums a use of giving us his reaction in the last minutes. with us in studio is royal correspondent sarah campbell. there will be joining us that
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people coming to us that will just be joining the news. let me recap on the stone of the statement. there is a note of optimism here. sarah: there is a note of optimism. the king is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention. we know that he was admitted hospital about 10 days ago now for treatment, corrective treatment to an enlarged prostate. something was discovered during that procedure. grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention. he remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. also that his majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis, a, to prevent speculation but also in the hope that it will and in public understanding, all of those are suffering from cancer. we have heard from cancer charities that both he and the queen are involved with as royal
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patrons, really appreciating the fact that whilst sending their best wishes, this has been put front and center on people's radar. when anything happens to a member of the royal family, that is exactly what happens. we are talking about him as king, how this wl affect his role as king, but he is also a father, grandfather, husband. we know that prince harry, he told both of his sons in person about his diagnosis or via person. the duke of sussex will be making his way back to the u.k. in the coming days. i don't need to explain to you that there have been issues over the past few years, family issues, but when something likee issues get forgotten don't they? we will see how that happens. as we have been talking about, as well as the mental strain on the rest of his family because
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of this diagnosis, there is a practical issue and that they will have to step up and perform duties that the king otherwise would have done. we have prince william, his eldest son, already dealing with catherine, princess of wales, admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery. she is due to convalesce for the next few weeks. he will have to go on and carry the ship now along with queen camilla, who is 76 years old, who has already seen the rise in the number of engagements she is carrying out. she will have to do more. the prinss royal, the duke and duchess of edinburgh. this impacts the family in an emotional way but also simply upending their workplace. christian: the position he holds and the title he has, all people have empathy for anybody who learns they have just been diagnosed with cancer. it is enormous shocked to learn that.
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everyone recognizes that when you're told that news, there is a long road ahead of you whatever type of cancer it is. whatever his duties are, the priority over the coming weeks and months will be the king's health, ensuring he gets the right treatment. sarah: we don't know what that treatment is, don't know what the specifics of the cancer is. we know the king returned from sandringham to london this morning to start his treatment as an outpatient. we know he is staying home in london this evening. we don't know the actual details of the treatmente will be undergoing but anyone who has it cancer diagnosis will know that kind of treatment can be quite difficult. don't want to speculate on how difficult. christian: what is crucially important, and has already come to light in the last two hours, just how important it is where everyone out there to get tested. here is a man who went to hospital with perhaps a concern
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about an enlarged prostate the advice of his doctors. lo and behold there is something that needs treatment. you don't know if you don't get tested. the lesson to all of us is go and get tested, find out. sarah: very much on the record guidance from the palace is made very clear, the king elected to make his diagnosis public once the schedule treatment had begun. as prince of wales, he was a patron of the number of cancer related charities. in this guidance, they say the king has always spoken in support of cancer patients, the health professionals that care for them. we have been speaking for the last couple of hours, this is relatively unusual, in the years that i've been covering the royal family, prince philip, elizabeth the second, we knew they were not wealthy because they didn't show up to
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engagements. we were very rarely told specific details. because, for understandable reason, their life is very public. in a sense, the one thing they can keep to themselves is their health, to keep that private, and that is their right to do so. but the king has taken this decision that, for the greater good, actually sharing this diagnosis is the positive thing to do. christian: i know that you will stay with me and react to some of the news as it comes in this evening. let's go to windsor castle. duncan kennedy is outside the gates there. we were remarking in the last hour what a blow this would be to the community in windsor, as closely attached as it is to the royal family. duncan: that is the case, christian. ordinary people are reacting to this news, not just residents,
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other politicians but ordinary subjects of king charles. we were speaking to groups of people, a lot of tourists, local people out walking their dogs. we spoke to some guys from india here on holiday. they use the word shocked. that is the word most people are using tonight. we spoke to two couples from glasgow who are staying around the corner here. we told them the news, they had not been following the news, as they are here on break. and they literally gasped. they said they couldn't believe it. they, too, were shocked by this news coming from buckingham palace. i spoke to another chap from singapore. he wished king well. another that we spoke to said he was sorry to hear the news and also wished king well. what we have not had out of windsor is any kind of reaction from the prince and princess of wales who stay on the grounds of
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windsor castle behind me at a place called adelaide cottage. that is where they live with their three children. understand the mother hasn't been any reaction from them. the princess of wales herself is recuperating from her own abdominal surgery she had a couple weeks ago. it is very much in keeping that the royal family does not comment in detail about these things. what we have had from buckingham palace will remain it for now. they will not speculate in terms of kings treatment, saying that it has now begun. one personhat we spoke to tonight asked me what kind of cancer it was. because buckingham palace ha not said anything about that, i was not able to pass any of that news on. people will be curious about that. having had all of that information about the king go to hospital last week, perhaps a buckingham palace was going to give us more information about the king's health. they have issued this pretty
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copperheads a statement this evening. we are not likely to get more details including the type of cancer that the king now has. christian: we were just sayi earlier in the evening, duncan, that he is a relatively fit man, in good shape for a man his age. he has a certain physical resilience. yes, there have been the out incident along the way particularly when he played polo. but in that sense the prognosis must be good as it is for all younger men who are diagnosed with cancer. there is a very strong chance he will get over this. duncan: yes potentially. we are simply unaware of the facts, that is the problem with all of this. cancer is a serious matter. i have heard many of your guests speak about that, and undoubtedly it is. it all depends on what stage it is at. if they have gotten it at an
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early stage, the prognosis could be very positive indeed. if at a later stage, other calculations come into play. we simply don't know what type of cancer it is, whether it is amenable for treatment. they have said they have started treatment today but haven't given any details on what that is. on his wider health, you are quite right, we saw him at sandringham waving and smiling at people going into church. he is in very robust health for a man of 75. he has a lot of duties, a lot of engagements that keep him very active. we are told in this buckingham palace statement tonight he will continue to look at his papers, being head of state, he has many papers to get through, so his health is not such a state where he cannot devote those mental activities if you like, but there will be some phycal implications of this. the palace has chosen not to go into that. what we do know is that large
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sections of the public, at least judged by those here in windsor, are shocked by what happened. many of them wishing the king the very best and speedy recovery. christian: we have had some reaction from washington, president biden, said that he was concerned. by all accounts will be talking to him later to talk to him directly. one of the events that we remember at windsor was in fact president biden's visit in july. there seems to be a connection between these two heads of state. duncan: yes, that's right, there was a connection. the president couldn't make it to the coronation nine months ago but did pay him that visit. the two men seem to connect. both extremely experienced, worldly, wise men who have a lot of history and subject matters in common with each other, not least the fact that britain and the united states have close relations anyway.
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these two are well experienced on the world stage, would have a lot to talk about. it is no wonder that people like president biden have reacted tonight, just one of many around the world reacting to the news. king charles is a very prominent figure, second only to his late mother, who will be well known all around the world. people will have been shocked by the news. people make the statement when they hear the news from other heads of state. they put in these calls, put out the statements, expressing their wish for the people to get better. we also had a statement from prince harry, that he has also spoken to his father, and he, too, will be heading to the united kingdom in the coming days no doubt to visit him in close quarters. he has not been here in several months. he will want to see his father as well. all kinds of reaction from around the world. this upbeat tone, statement from
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buckingham palace saying the king remains totally positive. that is kind of the message from all kinds of people, whether it is world leaders or simply people walking around the streets here in windsor, wishing the king all the bt for the future. christian: duncan kennedy, thank you so much. since we are talking about reaction from washington, let's listen to the reaction from the state department. here is the deputy spokesperson. >> our thoughts are with the king and his family. that is incredibly sad news. very sorry for the king and his family. christian: as i mentioned, there has been some reaction from the president himself. this is what he said just a few minutes ago. >> message for king charles? president biden: concerned about him, just heard his diagnosis. i'll be talking to him about it. >> what is next? president biden: hopefully passage in the senate.
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>> how? christian: reaction from president biden in the last hour. sarah campbell is with me in the studio. we are going to talk about the cancer side of it in a minute. just in terms of the year ahead, how this will complicate the calendar for the king. sarah: we don't know is the simple answer. the treatment will take as long as it takes. we know they hope that he will continue doing his red boxes, the things that he can do without having to undertake any strenuous activity, public facing duties. although he will be seeing the prime minister rishi sunak, those weekly meetings will continue. all of that will continue. the big question is, this year
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was very much the year for him to -- if last year was building on being king in the u.k., if you like, this year was about travel. it was about the commonwealth, commonwealth countries of which he is head of state. it was about visits to canada potentially. nothing confirmed but talked about. visits to canada, australia. you remember the queen, queen elizabeth ii, for the last 10 years before she died undertook no long-haul travel. for those countries, they have not had their head of state in their country for a very long time. i think that was very much a priority for the king to visit these countries. i was with him in 2022 when he and at that point the duchess of cornwall went to canada, traveled halfway across the country in three days. it was extraordinary the level. but it was really important for
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them both to go out and meet as many people as possible, really put their stamp on being in canada, being in a commonwealth country. christian: he will be sensitive to the questions that are being asked, as we know, in australia. sarah: very contentious issues at the moment. one of the things he has done is really tackled these things head on. he has tackled contentious issues when he has been to these countries. i am certain that is something he wished to do. queen elizabeth ii always said she had to be seen to be believed. the same with the king, these countries want him to be there. we don't know how long these treatments will take, we cannot say that he will not be able to visit australia this year, canada. the treatment may well have finished by then with absolutely no problem. certainly at the moment, there are questions because we don't
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know about the prognosis. christian: keep our fingers crossed on that. let's talk about the medical side of things. our medical editor fergus walsh is with us. difficult to talk specifically about this because we don't know what type of cancer it is. putting things together from the events of the last three weeks, what do you see? fergus: as you say, the palace doesn't want speculation on even what type of cancer this is let alone what stage, how early it was caught. we know it was not prostate cancer but was picked up through diagnostic tests as a result of the king's recent treatment for benign enlarged prostate. we know the palace has said that he began his regular sessions of cancer, what will become regular sessions of treatment for cancer today, and that these will be
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done as an outpatient. the king joins there 1000 people a day in the u.k. are diagnosed with cancer, and most cancer treatment now is given as outpatients. that covers a huge variety of different treatments. most commonly things like chemotherapy, drug treatments to try and shrink down cancers. chemotherapy comes in many different forms including infusions into the arm, the most common way, but also oral tablets, in some cases, injections int the organ affected by cancer. there is also radiotherapy. all of these treatmentcome with potential side effects but because we have not been told what type of cancer, we cannot speculate on those. age is the number one risk factor for most cancers.
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the king is 75. just over a third of all new cancers are diagnosed in people age 75 and over. christian: perhaps the most important public service we can extend tonight, the one the king would want us to extend, is to urge people to go and get tested. here is a very good example through our head of state. what you can avoid we hope, what can be avoided if you go and get tested, you can ashley's things early. -- catch these things early. fergus: that was very much why treatment for his prostate was announced, that he wanted men to get checked, to see if they had problems with their prostate, a common condition. it's a result of treatments for one part of the body that you then may pick up something else. the king has been praised by the royal physicians tonight, saying
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it is further proof that cancer is indiscriminate, can affect anybody, and to raise awareness of it, encourage people, if they have any doubts, if they have a lump or bump they are worried about, they should always go and get it checked out. christian:e talk tonight about his age, he turns 75 in november, but also how fit he is for a man of his age. he has been in pretty good health his whole life apart from the odd bump and scrape. does that help with prognosis going forward? fergus: it certainly can. doctors treating any condition will start by saying they hope their patients have a good overall level of fitness but there is a limit to what you can say about this since we don't even know what part of the king's body is affected by
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cancer. the palace doesn't want speculation so it is hard to say. doctors will definitely say to you, the federer their patients are, usually the better the outcomes are. christian: fergus walsh, thank you for that. we will shortly say goodbye to our viewers on pbs watching us around the world. four people just jonijoing us, buckingham palace confirmed the king is suffering from cancer. we don't know what type of cancer it is but subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. his majesty today commenced his schedule of regular treatments during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public facing duties. throughout this period, his majesty will undertake official business and paperwork, the paperwork that he gets through his red boxes as usual. he says he is grateful to his
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medical team or their swift intervention which was made possible his recent procedure, tests that he underwent. and he remains wholly positive and looking forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. he has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and to assist public narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.
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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me.

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