Buckingham Palace are "downplaying the severity" of the King's admission to hospital following a "temporary reaction" to his cancer treatment, it has been claimed.
In a statement released on Thursday night, the Palace confirmed that the King has been forced to postpone all planned engagements as a result of the episode.
The statement from Buckingham Palace read: "Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.
"His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled.
"His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result."
Speaking to GB News, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams claimed that the Palace are "absolutely" downplaying the "severity" of the King's admission to hospital, as there is "no question" that the monarch is a "workaholic".
Fitzwilliams explained: "Undoubtedly, there's no question about that, because it's being billed as something of a glitch on a road that has been pretty positive.
"But from the layman's point of view, looking possibly for an explanation of this, the cancer was diagnosed last February and he resumed public engagements in April - he carried out 372 engagements last year, and 43 of those were abroad, where his treatment was temporarily paused for the Australian and Samoan trip to the Commonwealth summit."
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Hailing the King's dedication and hard work despite his ongoing cancer treatment, Fitzwilliams declared that Britain is "lucky" to have a monarch as hard-working as King Charles.
He told GB News: "There's no question that as a workaholic, we are so lucky to have someone so dedicated. He has undoubtedly had an extraordinary schedule.
"And if you add to that the pressure of geopolitical events, a lot has gone into this, and there'll be a great deal more with President Trump's intended second state visit.
"And then on top of that, the fact that he's head of state of 14 countries, he's been sending messages of support to Canada, and, of course, receiving President Zelensky in Sandringham recently - this is a very, very pressurised job."
When pressed by host Ellie Costello on whether the decision by the Palace to postpone the King's engagements is an "abundance of caution", Fitzwilliams agreed, emphasising that side effects from cancer treatment are "not surprising".
He concluded: "It perhaps is no surprise that treatment can have side effects, because if you consider that he's continuing treatment for cancer and carrying out his duties with his red boxes, audiences with the Prime Minister, the receptions and so forth.
"It's not just a question of a full schedule, but also, one bears in mind that Queen Camilla, I'm sure is helping to slow him down, but nonetheless, it is clearly something that the Palace will wish to play down.
"But hopefully it is just the blip that that the reports indicate. On the other hand, I mean, things are not going to get a great deal easier, but perhaps his doctors may suggest some form of alteration in the future - putting royal programmes together in these circumstances is far from easy."
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In a statement released on Thursday night, the Palace confirmed that the King has been forced to postpone all planned engagements as a result of the episode.
The statement from Buckingham Palace read: "Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, The King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.
"His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled.
"His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result."
Speaking to GB News, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams claimed that the Palace are "absolutely" downplaying the "severity" of the King's admission to hospital, as there is "no question" that the monarch is a "workaholic".
Fitzwilliams explained: "Undoubtedly, there's no question about that, because it's being billed as something of a glitch on a road that has been pretty positive.
"But from the layman's point of view, looking possibly for an explanation of this, the cancer was diagnosed last February and he resumed public engagements in April - he carried out 372 engagements last year, and 43 of those were abroad, where his treatment was temporarily paused for the Australian and Samoan trip to the Commonwealth summit."
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Hailing the King's dedication and hard work despite his ongoing cancer treatment, Fitzwilliams declared that Britain is "lucky" to have a monarch as hard-working as King Charles.
He told GB News: "There's no question that as a workaholic, we are so lucky to have someone so dedicated. He has undoubtedly had an extraordinary schedule.
"And if you add to that the pressure of geopolitical events, a lot has gone into this, and there'll be a great deal more with President Trump's intended second state visit.
"And then on top of that, the fact that he's head of state of 14 countries, he's been sending messages of support to Canada, and, of course, receiving President Zelensky in Sandringham recently - this is a very, very pressurised job."
When pressed by host Ellie Costello on whether the decision by the Palace to postpone the King's engagements is an "abundance of caution", Fitzwilliams agreed, emphasising that side effects from cancer treatment are "not surprising".
He concluded: "It perhaps is no surprise that treatment can have side effects, because if you consider that he's continuing treatment for cancer and carrying out his duties with his red boxes, audiences with the Prime Minister, the receptions and so forth.
"It's not just a question of a full schedule, but also, one bears in mind that Queen Camilla, I'm sure is helping to slow him down, but nonetheless, it is clearly something that the Palace will wish to play down.
"But hopefully it is just the blip that that the reports indicate. On the other hand, I mean, things are not going to get a great deal easier, but perhaps his doctors may suggest some form of alteration in the future - putting royal programmes together in these circumstances is far from easy."
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