Why is King Charles scheduled for surgery next week?

Over the coming weeks, the U.K. will be three monarchs down; not only is Kate Middleton recovering from surgery with her husband Will by her side, but King Charles himself is set to have a surgical procedure next week as well.

Before you ask, no, he’s not undergoing surgery to fix his sausage fingers. The announcement was made by Kensington Palace less than two hours after it informed the public about the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery, and it means that two of the most well known members of the royal family will be out of action in the coming weeks. Maybe Charles and Kate will be able to get adjoining rooms if they’re in the same hospital.

What is King Charles’s surgery for?

Don’t panic, Charles’s condition isn’t life threatening, according to the statement from the palace. “His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure.” 

The reason for the surgery is for an enlarged prostate, which is common in men over the age of 50. Considering Charles is, 75 it’s not a surprise that he’s been afflicted with the condition. It’s not cancerous and doesn’t pose a serious threat to the King’s health. 

However, Kensington Palace announced that “The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.” Charles was due to attend meetings up in Dumfries, Scotland, which will likely be rearranged for a time when the monarch has fully recuperated.

How the condition is treated depends upon its severity, which is information that we aren’t privy to, (and we probably wouldn’t want to be anyway.) Treatments can involve laser surgery to melt away the excess tissue, implants to hold the excess tissue away from areas such as the urethra, and in some cases, water injections, which are also used to destroy prostate tissue. And that concludes our anatomy lesson; every day’s a school day.