Monarch jokes about “bits not working” as he continues cancer treatment
King Charles III has sparked fresh speculation about abdication after making a light-hearted but revealing remark about the realities of ageing.
The 76-year-old monarch, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, was visiting Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham on Wednesday when he struck up a conversation with 85-year-old patient Jacqueline Page.
“I’m wearing out,” she told him.
“I know,” the King replied. “This is the terrible thing, as I’m discovering already — the bits don’t work so well after you get past 70, do they?”
The exchange, shared by Buckingham Palace on the royal family’s official Instagram, quickly drew attention given Charles’s ongoing health challenges.
The lighthearted conversation also included a trip down memory lane. Mrs Page recalled meeting the then-Prince of Wales at Perry Barr Stadium in the late 1970s. “You came in a helicopter, walked straight towards my parents and shook their hands,” she said.
Charles, laughing, replied: “That was a bit of luck, wasn’t it? Extraordinary. It was a wonderful old helicopter — I used to fly them in the Navy. I left the Navy in 1976, and I can still remember how to fly it. But I’m so glad there was a chance to meet today.”
As their chat wrapped up, the King smiled warmly: “It’s such a joy to see you again after all these years. Terrifying, isn’t it?”
During his hospital tour, Charles also spent time with patients and staff before visiting the ‘Winter Garden,’ a space designed to offer relaxation and respite for both visitors and clinical teams.
