Keep Calm And Carry On? How Health Crises Could Reshape Monarch's Role

Last Monday, King Charles emerged from a private clinic alongside Queen Camilla to smile and wave to a small crowd.

- Rajeev Syal

The message that Buckingham Palace wished to convey was obvious - the monarch is strong and will carry on his duties, despite the health setback.

Hours earlier, his daughter-in-law Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was driven away from the same hospital following planned abdominal surgery.

For several days, the global media speculation over their health - and that of the monarchy as a whole - died down.

But last night's surprise announcement that Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer inevitably provoked another frenzy - and will once again raise questions about whether it is fair to expect a man in his mid-70s to fulfill a rota of public duties.

He in effect started his new job a decade after most men retire.

For many, it will also seem as if fate has placed another unforeseen challenge on to a reign that has been so long in the waiting.

Seventy-two years ago, when his grandfather died and his mother became queen, Charles became heir apparent at the age of three. He held that title for 70 years - longer than anyone else.