Piers Morgan Uncensored - Piers Morgan Uncensored: King Charles' Cancer Diagnosis

Episode Date: February 5, 2024

On Piers Morgan Uncensored: Piers will broadcast a special live episode reporting on the sad news of King Charles' cancer diagnosis. Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored at 8pm on TalkTV on Sky 522, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217. Listen on DAB+ and the app.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the news building in London, this is Pearce Morgan Uncensored. Good evening from London. Welcome to Piers Morgan Unsensored. King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. The king told close family members, including his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and his three siblings. The announcement was made to the British public at 6pm this evening and shocked the world. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has told friends he's flying into the UK over the next few days to see his father, who he's already spoken to over the phone. The type of cancer has not been revealed, but we do know from the palace it is not prostate cancer,

but the cancer was discovered during the king's recent treatment for an enlarged prostate. Well, Buckingham Palace said tonight that the king began regular treatments as an outpatient on Monday. He was last seen publicly as recently as Sunday, attending church in Norfolk with his wife, Queen Camilla. He remains the head of state.

He will undertake basic state duties from the palace, including his weekly meeting with the Prime Minister. But public engagements have all been postponed for the duration of his treatment. It's unclear if you'll be able to undertake major international trips to Canada and New Zealand planned over the coming months. Well, reactions you'd expect is pouring in from around the world.

Here, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Sakeir Stahma have wished him a speedy recovery. In the United States, Donald Trump, just posted, he's a wonderful man who I got to know well during my presidency, and we all pray that he has a fast and fast and full. recovery. President Joe Biden said he's concerned and hopes to talk to him soon. Do you have a message for V. Charles? Messaged to control. I'm concerned about him. Just heard his diagnosis, but I'll be talking to him, God, well.

Well, joining me now is Talk to V's Royal Editor, Sarah Houston, Royal Biographer Tom Bauer, Fox News contributor Mark Siegel, and former editor of the Sunday Times, Andrew Neal. Okay, well, Sarah, let's start with you, just on this breaking news. I got told just after five, There's a massive statement coming from Buckingham Palace about King Charles and we think it's cancer. And I read the statement maybe just a few minutes before it went out. It was shocking. I mean, you don't read this kind of thing about a senior member of the Royal Family. And yet it comes just after the previous health statements about both Charles having his prostate operation,

which was for a benign situation and for Kate, the Princess of Wales. A lot of health stories about the rules, this is, it appears to be by father most of the most, serious yes and you're right it has come as a shock because we know the king went into hospital for planned procedure on an enlarged prostate a benign in large prostate we were told we thought that that was very typical for a man of his age and we were told that he put that diagnosis out there because he wanted to raise awareness he did have to stay in hospital a little bit longer than we had initially thought he was in for three nights he had regular visits from

Queen Camilla during that period and it was during that procedure that an area of concern was noticed. Some diagnostic tests carried out. I wonder about the timing because I'm told by people close to the Royals that as late as like two days ago yesterday, everything seemed fine. And it seems to me what maybe more likely and maybe Dr. Mark Siegel can tell us this,

is that they took some of his prostate away for further examination in that operation he had and then something nasty turned up, which was nothing to do with a prostate, but it revealed another cancer in his body. And I think that this has come as a shock to everybody, from what I can tell, even senior member of the royal family, had no idea this was coming.

Absolutely. And we saw the king and the queen at Sandringham yesterday. We do understand that they knew last week. Queen Camilla opened a Maggie's cancer care centre. We told that she did that knowing the diagnosis. We think that she knew by that point. My understanding is that she carried on. with that engagement and it will have taken on and added significance of course for her.

We know that the king told his siblings, Anne, Edward and Drew. We don't know, but before this was made public and spoke to both sons. Okay, so Tom, I think this has all happened pretty quickly and that says to me this has come as a big shock and the royal family already reeling from the deaths of Prince Philip, from Her Majesty the Queen, from the double health blow that we heard several weeks ago. of Charles and Kate. And now this, that our new monarch has cancer. Well, it does come as a shock.

But on the other hand, I must tell you that before Christmas, someone, a neighbour of his in Highgrove, did tell me that the king wasn't well. And also warned that Queen Camilla is not perfect health either. So I think that although it seems like it's a great shock tonight to us, I think this has been coming for some time. Well, just bring it, Andrew, Neil. Andrew, you were one of the great newspaper editors.

This is one of those stories, isn't it, where it breaks in 6 o'clock at night and everyone is scrambling. I'd imagine the papers will be absolutely full of this tomorrow. What do you make of this? In particular, the wording of the palace statement, which I've got to say, with my own former newspaper editor hat on, I think this looks quite a serious situation.

Well, they told us more than they usually do in these circumstances. They haven't told us anything like the full picture. We don't know what kind of cancer it is, but they told us more than they usually do. told us more than they did when the Queen was getting seriously unwell. It is a huge story. I've been watching the American network. It's the lead story in every American news network tonight.

I've been watching French and German TV. It's the lead story there as well. It's a lead story in every major network, I would guess, around the world. And there will be a temptation for journalists to make Harry the story, because he's now going to be flying back. And we hope that at times of crisis, this is a crisis. crisis for the royal family. It can bring families together, but I hope we don't make Harry the story. The story is the king. The story is the queen and Prince William and his wife Kate,

who will have to step up to the plate, particularly when Kate gets better, to fill in some of the gaps that Charles will leave behind. The important matter is the continuity of the British state in these circumstances. And the core of the British state has a thousand years of experience in dealing with these things. Not many countries that can say they've got a thousand years of experience. And I'm encouraged by the fact that the king will still carry out a lot of functions in private, including the Privy Council and meeting the Prime Minister and his red boxes, that it's not been thought necessary to create a council of state

that would take over the functions, the constitutional functions of the monarch. And I think when you add all that together, that's encouraging. the continuity will continue and it's very important to us in an election year because the purpose of the monarchy is to provide continuity and stability regardless of what's happening in politics and we're having an election this year

and it's very important that the monarchy plays that role above politics for the country as a whole. Yeah, very, very good point, Andrew. We've got Roy Nicker, who's the Royal correspondent for the Sunday Times, Andrew's old paper. Before I come to you, Roy, I want to read the Buckingham Palace statement in full and then get your reaction to this.

It says 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 has today commenced to schedule a regular treatment during which time he's been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual. The king is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible, thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world affected by cancer. So, Roya, I mean, that was a bombshell statement. And as always with royal statements, you kind of look for the devil in the world. the detail, if you like I said, I think this is quite a serious situation, which has emerged from a not-so-serious situation, which was the procedure for the benign prostate enlargement. This is clearly a separate and is a cancer. So it's a different thing altogether, and it's more serious. You can't, peers, detract from the fact that cancer is a very serious diagnosis of whatever form it is, and we don't know what form it is yet. We're told, you know, he may choose to share

more information down the line during his treatment. But just to your point about, you know, always unpicking statements from the palace, I have to say I actually looked at that statement and some of the guidance that we've had tonight, some background guidance we've had from the palace, particularly the items about no councillors of state being needed. So we are not going to see Prince William or Prince Edward or Anne stepping in constitutionally for the king. It's been made very clear quite sort of firmly that constitutionally at the moment nothing has changed.

the king is going to keep doing his affairs of state, his red boxes. We just won't see him in public so much. So, yes, it's very serious. He's got cancer. But at the same time, that phrase, you know, he is wholly positive about his treatment and that he is still doing affairs of state. I read that as actually quite a hopeful sign.

Yeah, but for a new king of less than a year to no longer be doing any engagements in front of the public, I just think, you know, knowing Charles, as I have for a lot, long time, not particularly closely, but having followed his life. This is a tough guy, a very fit guy, used to yomping around the highlands and leading a very fit active life. For him to basically retreat from public life in the way that he is, yes, he may be saying he's wholly positive. I wouldn't expect anything else, but I think this must be a serious situation because he's canceling all public engagements, apparently, while he undergoes this treatment.

I mean, there's no doubt that, you know, cancer is serious for anyone, but I think in terms of sort of retreating from public view, when, you know, depending on what his treatment involves, the palace and the royal family and the king himself will want to minimize, you know, the health risk to him in terms of, it's one thing to meet with the prime minister and have an audience with him, as we're told hopefully he will continue to do that and meet with the privy council. It's, it's another thing to, you know, be at a Buckingham Palace of Reception with 300 people in the room, which I think is why, you know, erring on the side of caution for the head of state for our monarch, he's withdrawn. But of course, you cannot shy away from the fact that the king, as you say, just a year and a half into his reign is having to withdraw from public life, temporarily, we hope, is a huge blow to him, a huge blow to his reign. It's going to be a big challenge for him and the family to rally around. Yeah. Tom, the subplot here, and Andrew Neal was quite right, there shouldn't be the story, but it's interesting that there's obviously this massive ongoing rift with Prince Harry and his father, but we've been told from friends, of Prince Harry that he's planning to fly from California

to see his father, which will be the nearest thing to a rapprochement we've seen. You do see this with families when they're warring is a dramatic event like this can bring people together. What do you make of that? Well, I think that rapprochement is fitting. On the other hand, I'm very suspicious

because, as we've discussed often here, Harry's agenda has been so anti-monicist, has been so disrespectful of the king and the queen and the queen and of course of his brother, that for him suddenly to turn up in London, not having expressed any concern for his father when he heard originally about the prostrate problem,

which is two weeks ago, that's been a period of silence. So suddenly he's flying in. I think it seems two things, not the rapproch one only, but also how serious it is. I don't think it is a benign issue at all. I think you're quite right

that there is a mini-crisis happening. Yeah, and Andrew Neal, if I could come back to you, a moment. You know, we've covered the royals for many, many decades, and they've always been the biggest story in town. And like you say, the news of the King's diagnosis is leading the news around the world, not least in America, where it's huge. I've had loads of calls of people wanting interviews about this already. So you can see how big a story this is. But does it also point to the fragility of our royal family right now? We've lost the great matriarch in the

We lost the great patriarch in Prince Philip. We've now got the Princess of Wales, who's having months off work because of, we don't know what it was that she had, but it was obviously pretty serious. We've got Charles now, the new monarch who has cancer. You know, if you look at the sort of top list of royals, this is a big moment, isn't it? I mean, this is a, like I say, this points to the fragility of the whole thing. It's coming a bad time. Of course, cancer diagnosis never come at a good time. But with the royal family, we've gone from surplus to famine very, very quickly.

I mean, a lot of people who say, I don't mind the king or the queen. I don't mind the very top rows, but I don't like all these hangers-on. Well, a lot of the so-called my mother used to call them hangers-on. Well, these kind of royals seem to have stopped hanging on. They've disappeared now. Prince Andrews no longer in the game. Harry cantied himself out along with Megan. The Princess of Wales has not been well,

so William has refused himself too. We are now having a royal family is pretty short-handed. And of course, this will put huge strain on the Queen at a very difficult time for her, but also more strain on William, who was hoping to step back and look after his wife. He is now under pressure,

and will succumb to that pressure to get back into public life and pick up some of these public engagements. So it's the productivity of the remaining senior members of the royal family who are able to do what royal should be doing, not many of them anymore, that will have to increase in the weeks and months ahead. And I think the other thing to look for you,

this is just a breaking story, because, as you know, we do not know what kind of cancer it is, the whole cancer is scary and bad. We do not know the treatment that the king is getting or what impact the treatment will have on the king himself, which I think is very important. So I think in the days of probably the weeks ahead, where we get a better idea of whether the king

will be able to carry on in private with his important duties and eventually come back to the public life or whether it's so serious that even in private his duties are now at heart to carry out. That, to my mind, is the thing to look for in the weeks ahead. Yeah, I completely agree. Sarah, I mean, Andrew is so right, isn't it, the number of top people in the royal family

available to do the functional work of the royal family, which is huge. I mean, they all do hundreds of royal engagements a year. These can be big ones, small ones, but they're serving the people. That's the deal, the contract with the British public. There aren't many of them at the moment able to actually work.

No, and those that are working already have packed schedules. Princess Anne, for example, has an incredibly busy diary. And the king is going to be relying on his sister now, also on Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, on Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince William, but as Andrew was saying, Prince William was hoping to take some time out to be looking after his wife and children. Next week is half term. The children will be home from school.

Kate, not really able to be carrying on as normal. But we had the announcement today, and I think the timing of that was significant and choreographed, that he's back to public duties on Wednesday. He's going to be hosting an investiture at Windsor Castle. He's got an event on Wednesday. needs to be seen because as the late Queen used to say the Royal Family need to be seen to be believed.

Well, we're remembering. Willian will be very worried about his wife. And worried about his father. And Camilla will be absolutely heartbroken about what's going on with Charles, a great love of her life. Never mount the public duty stuff. She's going to carry on with her duties. There presumably some of them will have to pick up some

of the kings at some stage if it carries on. But she'll also have, in her own world, this is a devastating moment. Sometimes it's easy to forget. They're human beings. And she wants to be supporting him through his treatment as well because we don't know what impact it's going to have on him. You talked about reading between the lines of the statements.

Now we look back on some of the words that Camilla has said over the past couple of weeks. Initially, when she was asked, she said he was doing fine. Last week, she said he's doing his best when she was asked how he was. And that takes on a greater significance. Now we know what has been going on behind the seats. Andrew Neal and Roynecker, thank you both very much indeed. I think you guys are staying with me. Unsensored next.

We're getting more on the breaking news that King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. talk to a constitutional expert. What does this all mean, actually, for the monarchy? If, God forbid, this turns into a very serious situation involving our monarch. Welcome back to Unsensitive. Well, Sarah Houston and Tom Bowers still with me, along with historian and author, Sir Anthony Seldon. Sir Anthony, a big shock tonight for the country, for the world, that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer.

We don't know what the cancer is. We don't know how serious it is, but we do know he's canceling all engagements where he would have to face the public for the foreseeable future. And what do you read into this? I don't know what to read in it, Pierce. I mean, it's so unexpected. We can read so many different things into it. It could be just precaution.

He is 75. He's not a young man. It could be the doctors are just saying, let's take it very steadily and cautiously and carefully, but there's nothing very much to. to worry about that we can't deal with with our modern treatments. At one end of the spectrum or the other, it could be a serious and advanced form of cancer.

At the moment, I don't know. I don't know if anybody else does outside the Royal Circle. Sir Anthony, what are the constitutional implications of this situation? If we assume for a moment, God forbid that the king is very seriously ill with a serious cancer and that there is a possibility that he may not come through it, And that's the worst case scenario, obviously. And we don't know for a moment that that is the case. But what is the constitutional situation here?

So it does show that the monarchy really matters in modern Britain. I mean, why are we talking about it? Why is the world obsessed about this today when there are so many other pressing issues, wars, and in this country the prospect of general election and party politics, all been swept aside and why. And in a way, it's very hard to say exactly what the monarchy does do, but we do know that

it's important, not important, because many people, a majority of the country like it and want it to continue, but because it's fulfilling part of our constitutional function. It does help hold the United Kingdom together, take away the monarchy, and there's not a great deal holding together the constituent nations of the United Kingdom. It does help provide a sense of continuity, meaning and purpose, and somebody has to do it. So what will happen, and it's already been pointed out, with Princess Catherine herself unwell, and we don't quite know what's going on with her. That's a lot falling back on William, but also on his two functioning siblings of

Edward and Princess Anne, but they're not exactly front-tier figures. So there will be cover. I mean, what's important what we know is that this monarchy fights. It hasn't survived for 950 years without fighting for its survival. And it will make do somehow whatever absence or whatever problem this is. But, Mr. Frantley, on the Constitution, if the king is incapacitated, what happens then? If he's alive but incapacitated, if he can't perform the functions of state, if he can't see the prime minister and so on, what happens in that eventuality? Well, eventually there could be a regency, as happened with George III, who was incapacitated through mental problems.

He reigned for 60 years, but by the beginning, of the 19th century, he clearly was incapable of providing that steadiness of purpose at a time that the monarchy was more central and important in the country than it is now. So there would be some form of regency, and I would imagine that William would step up and become the regent, and that he would be taking over the political functions of the monarchy, so that those essential functions for the continuity of the British state would be allowed seamlessly to continue. Sir Anthony, thank you very much indeed.

I'm joined now from United States by Dr. Mark Siegel. He's the Fox News contributor. Dr. Mark, great to see you. Big bombshell news tonight. I know it's making big news across the pond in America. When you read the statement from the palace, and it says when he had the procedure for the benign prostate enlargement, A separate issue of concern was noted, which is another form of cancer has been identified.

Just talk me through the process that could have led to that discovery. Well, Pierce, good to see you. And we actually talked together about this at the very beginning when he went in for the procedure. Now, I talked to our top urologist at NYU, New York University today, about this issue with a prostate. And he said about one out of a hundred times, when you're thinking, when you're going in, you could see a bladder cancer, that it could look like an large prostate or it could be there at the same time as enlarged prostate or it could come out on pathology. One out of a hundred times or more that happens.

I'll tell you, peers, I'm suspicious that this is bladder cancer because he went home, because they're treating them as an outpatient, because what you do with bladder cancer after you resect it, if you can resect it. You give BCG, which is a form of inactivated bacteria like tuberculosis, you infuse that into the bladder, and it cures it over 90% of the time. It's the fourth most common cancer in men. Number two, number one is prostate cancer, which they say this is not. Lung cancer, colon cancer.

Those could have spread, but the King of England, I think, would be getting impatient treatment for those. So I'm suspicious that this is bladder cancer, and that would be good news. Well, that's encouraging if that's what it is. We've been asked not to speculate about what it is, but it's impossible, really, given that we know the King has cancer, not to at least theorize what the range of cancers it could be, given that it was discovered from this procedure for the benign prostate enlargement. I mean, I heard a doctor this morning this evening on the radio

talking about how when you have that benign prostate enlargement, if you are the king, they probably took some tissue from the prostate area as well, and that it may have taken some time for that to be properly tested and come back. Would that be consistent with a bladder cancer discovery? And could it also have unearthed something else completely different? In other words, like you say, could it have been a secondary site for a lung cancer or colon cancer or something of that nature? Absolutely.

All of those things are possible. I'm just considering the idea that he was. went home. And as you say, they ask us not to speculate, but if I'm right, this is very, very, very good news. This also happens pretty commonly. And also, they didn't talk about a CAT scan or other tests. You know, this is most likely something you would find while you're doing the other procedure. So you would be quietly encouraged by the sequence of events? Because he went home, because the King of England went home. And because if they found this, now, another possibility might be lymphoma.

Lymphoma is eminently treatable as well. But again, I would have expected the king to be treated in the hospital for that, at least initially. So the fact that he... I'm encouraged by the fact that he went home and that he's getting the treatment as an outpatient. I find that very encouraging. That seems to me to be a significant part of this.

I mean, we know that was the case on Monday. What we don't know from that statement is whether he will remain an outpatient or whether he will actually have to go in as well. All we do know is that. all public engagements involving FaceTime with the public have all been cancelled or postponed. That is very, very unusual, Dr. Mark, which suggests to me that whatever it is, they're very worried about it. Well, or that he has a recovery time here, or that he had surgery done.

You know, if it was bladder cancer, they would have tried to remove it at the time that they were doing the prostate. If it's metastatic cancer of another sort, it still can respond to chemotherapy. or immunotherapy or radiation, but it would be more dire than if it were the bladder. What, I mean, if it is the bladder cancer, as you say, if he's had the procedure that you said he may have had for that, what's the recovery time period like? Well, that would be a matter of weeks. Of course, he's 75 years old. That factors into it. He's in pretty fit. And as you know, Pierce, he's the anti-smoking king. He's been asking for no smoking in all of the UK. So that's good because more likely these cancers are related to smoking.

So he's a healthy king. And I think that that bodes well for a faster recovery unless he has a more severe cancer. Right. Dr. Mark, as always, great to talk to you. Thank you so much for sparing the time. I know you're very, very busy over there with all the stuff going on at Fox. So I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Well, we're going to take another break. We're going to come back and talk to Tessa Dunlop, who's a royal historian, and also Dickie Arbiter, the former press secretary to the Queen on this big new blow.

So stay with us, but more on the big break history. Welcome back to a special edition of Piercemore, uncensored about the bombshell news that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. Still with me as Tom Bauer, along the Royal Historian, now, Tessa Dunlop and the former press secretary to the late Queen, Dickey Arbotton.

Before I come to our new guests, there's just some more tributes pouring in from everywhere all around the world. The Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sarah and I send our heartfelt well wishes to King Charles III. Our prayers for his good health. Joe Biden, we've quoted earlier. Yes, I'm concerned about him. I've just heard his diagnosis. Hopefully I'll be talking to him soon. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. I like Canadians across the country and people around the world. I'm thinking of His Majesty King Charles III as the undergoes treatment for cancer. London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, wish the King is speedy and full recovery on behalf of Londoners. I look forward to his

return to full health as soon as possible. And the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the whole country will be rooting for the king today. Best wishes to Charles III for a full and speed of recovery. And they're coming in from literally every quarter of the world as this news reverberates around the globe. Well, let me go to Dickie Arbiter. Dickie, you've dealt with many royal crises in your time. Hard to imagine many more serious than our new monarch of just a year and a half, taking over from

the late great queen and the enormous. of her own death, that he's now been diagnosed with cancer. What's your reaction to this? Well, my initial reaction to it is that good on Buckingham Palace for announcing that the king does have cancer, because if he's not seen out and about, which is his job, there'll be a lot of speculation as to where he is. It made very clear that he is robust.

He will continue with his constitutional role. And that's going through red boxes, papers of state, which he has to do, and also audiences with the Prime Minister. So that will carry on. The only difference is that we won't see him out and about. The part that he really enjoys is going up and down the country, whether it's England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, whatever, or abroad.

He will miss that. He will miss meeting the people. He will miss meeting businessmen, industrialists, politicians. But he's got to live with that. And he has been told that he does have cancer. He will have treatment. What is interesting, and Dr. Siegel did make the point, that he's being treated at home.

And that is probably good news that they didn't feel that it necessary, the medic studies, to treat him in hospitals. So treating at home is good news. It means he can carry on with a fairly normal life, albeit restricted in not going out and about. And I think it's good that Buckingham Palace did announce it. It wouldn't have done it without his say-so.

And it just shows a new monarchy, a new attitude towards the ills of mankind that they have announced that he has cancer. And we can just hope that in the fullness of time, he will be cured. I've got to remember that we are already in February. Engagements usually go up until the end of March when Easter Court is in play

and very rarely any engagements. And I don't think we'll see the king back until after Easter and very much the Princess of Wales. We won't see her back until after Easter. But I think along with everybody else globally that we wish the king will. Yeah, absolutely. Tessa Dunlop, a big shock. Yeah, and one can't help but feel great sympathy for King Charles.

He's been in a job that he's waited his entire life for for one year and four months. And this news will have come as a shock. The word cancer always comes as a shock. He's shared, but he's not overshared. We don't know, of course, what the treatment will be, and we don't know what cancer he has. But I think we can feel cautiously optimistic, Rishi, mentioned he would be having still his weekly meetings with the monarch.

Tom Bowler, it was interesting. There was a big media briefing attached to the statement, which was not for publication. Very detailed, very long, actually, five pages or so. And as I was reading it, I was thinking, this is not something you would do if this was a trivial matter. I do think, we're watching live pictures there outside Buckingham Palace. I do think there's a lot of concern there.

I think there's a lot of concern, and rightly so. I mean, King Charles is after all our monarch. He's an older man, 75. I think it has come as a shock to the public. I don't think that it was a complete shock to him. I think he already was feeling unwell for some weeks. And I think that we're just not ready. After all, having lost the Queen,

we don't really want to lose the king. And I think that is the problem, that as Dr. S. A. Lton-Solten rightly said, we'd rely on the monarchy to keep this country to keep. We rely on the monarchy to represent us all these amazing charities and all the rest that the work they do.

And without them, I think the country is lost. And I think that's what we've got to fear that somehow, as you rightly say, there's a depletion in the ranks. Yes. Dickie Arbiter, I mean, just on the forthcoming events that would have involved the King being sent to stage, Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March the 11th, and then the King and Queen were expected to visit Canada

in May, and then Australia, New Zealand and Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October. I mean, these are all big events, particularly the foreign tours and visits. We don't know, of course, whether he'll be up to doing this. But what would happen, if he's not able to go, do they simply postpone it? Do they send Queen Camilla on her own? Do they send other members of the family? What would you be thinking if you were at the palace now?

Well, let me rewind slightly. And if it was the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, you can't postpone that. I mean, it has been postponed in the past because of COVID, but there is no reason for it to be postponed. And the king could quite easily delegate the Prince of Wales to go in much the same way as the late Queen delegated the current king when it was Prince of Wales to go in her stead. So that is not impossible. As far as state visits are concerned to Canada and Australia,

these could still go ahead in terms of the Prince of Wales going. Let's hope that the Princess of Wales becomes fit and healthy and well to be able to resume duties. So it's not lost. It's not lost at all. But you're talking about events in May, in October. And these are a long time hence. We're only at the beginning of February. And I think with the right treatment, the right care and the right.

peace of mind on behalf of the King that we will see him back in harness after Easter. But as far as those engagements are concerned, they're not lost. They won't be postponed. Tessa, the statement said that Majesty has chosen to share the diagnosis, very unusual to do this, to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for those around the world affected by cancer. I thought that was quite a significant change, as Dickie suggested earlier, to normal procedure when it comes to matters. of health involving senior royals. It's very true.

The late queen, I think the most we got from her was poor mobility issues, even when she was in the depths of her 90s. Her own father looked literally like walking death towards the end of his life. Doctors could guess that he had cancer, but no word was uttered. In fact, in his Christmas speech,

just sort of six weeks prior to his death, he talked about the NHS and the doctors and nurses making him well again. So this is a sea change. Of course, we live in very different times. The king has gone to great lengths to try and establish himself as a more empathetic, progressive monarch. And this is in keeping with that. And like I say, he's shared, but he's not overshared.

We don't know what the cancer is. We don't know what the treatment will be. Regarding those trips, the Edinburgh's, as they were then, Philip and Elizabeth, of course, stepped in for her father. And they went to Canada and America in 1951. and depending on Kate's health and of course how their children are because they have pretty heavy familial duties with three of their own.

We might see Kate and William step into the breach for that Australian New Zealand tour which by definition being long haul will be tiring. Yeah, Tessa, thank you very much. Dickie Arbiter, thank you very much. Tom Bow, thank you very much. Appreciate you coming in at such short notice tonight

on this big breaking news. I'll send to the next more live coverage on this extraordinary news that King Charles has cancer. I'll be with my pack. Esther Aver. and Kevin afterbook. Welcome back to Unsensitive,

our special edition on this live breaking news about King Charles III, who has been diagnosed with cancer. I'm joined now by my pact, talked to be contributor to Esther Cracker, the Daily Mirror's associate, to Kevin Maguire, and the political journalist Ava Santina.

Well, it's all a bit of shock, isn't it? And we've had a lot of them with the Royals and Health. No, we lost Prince Philip, we lost the Queen, and then two weeks ago we suddenly woke up and in the space of two hours, we had Charles and Hospital, Kate, Princess Wells in the hospital, and now this massive escalation

in the King's health, Kevin, I know you're not a monochist, but for the country, this is a bit of a seismic blow. Oh, it is, look, and I wish him a full and speedy recovery. He's more fortunate than the two in five people who don't get their cancer treatment to start within the two months of supposed to

on the NHS. But you're right, because look, he's just become King. It was only May, eight months ago he had the coronation. And I had my own respect, the openness in saying he has a form of cancer, but of course the questions will come, which cancer is it? What is the stage? How will the treatment proceed? Because these are all questions when he has a constitutional role. The Fox News doctor, Dr. Mark Siegel, theorizing that because

he's not being treated in hospital as an inpatient, he was quite encouraged by that. And he felt that led more to potentially something like bladder cancer, which is very treatable apparently in this kind of situation. We don't know, but he thought the fact he wasn't being kept in was a good sign. I've known friends who've not been treated in hospital and they've died from cancer. And then, you know, because of the...

Well, I think if you get this... If you get cancer at 75, whatever it is, it's not good. Ava, what do you make of this? I mean, it's just blown everything else up. The news is as a huge development as it always is with the Royals. Going around the world. What do you think?

I mean, it's very sad that a man has got cancer, but let's just remember he is but a man. He is not, you know, any more special. Well, he is the king. Yeah, but, you know, I think that does make him quite special. He's a celebrity, and it's always very sad when celebrities are unwell, and I completely appreciate that. However, I would also say this is a really good moment in time to talk about statutory sick pay. So King Charles now doesn't have to work. He'll do, you know, he'll do his phone call with the Prime Minister or whatever, but he's not going to his public engagement. He's 75 years old. He'd have to work anyway. Why would you want to be so churlish? I'm not being churlish. What I'm

pointing out, is a 75-year-old king has cancer. You should be talking about statutory sick-bait. Who've woken up and they might be 56, they might need to go to work with cancer. Would they be working at 75 as hard as he does? Do you know any 75-year-old that works as hard as he does? What? Hard? Let's not get into this today because I feel bad because a man is unwell and a family is...

You don't think he works hard? I appreciate that. But look, you know, I think it's a pretty cushy job that I think many of us could also do. A cushy job being King of England? I think I would be fine being King of England. I think I could do it as a side job, actually. You'd have to identify as a man, which I know you probably would, just because you could, right?

Esther, I don't share that view at all. I don't think he has an easy life. I think he's had a very tough few years, actually, losing both his parents and then having a coronation to replace the most popular, longest-serving monarch in our history. All very, very tough stuff. He's all the stuff with Harry, disenfranchised from one of his sons.

I mean, it's not had this easy at all. But whatever this is, is it's serious, I think, from the way this has played out tonight. Of course. And I think most people are concerned with actually the constitutional implications of this, not just the fact that obviously this is a man who's in his 70s and he has been diagnosed with cancer. It's obviously tragic. But there are questions who have to abdicate, you know, only about a year into his reign or happen with Prince William, who has three young children and, you know, his dynamic or family dynamic will change radically if he has to take on more duties.

I think that's probably the bigger implications. Look, yes, the UK does have. in terms of clinical outcomes, some of the lowest cancer outcomes in the developed world. I mean, we're on par with Portugal, and we spend as much on our NHS as the whole GDP of Portugal. So, you know, it's not great. But at the end of the day, illness doesn't discriminate. I don't think saying that he has the best care somehow negates the fact that this is a man with cancer. If this was your grandfather, he's the king of him. No, even if he was your grandfather, you would want him to have the best care.

I'm glad to put out a statement and they've been more open than they have in the past the royal family. But it raises so many questions. They should be answered in public because he is the ultimate public figure in the UK. Which cancer is it? Do you think he should be obliged to say that? I do. We never knew that about the other worlds. If he's going to help other people, which he says he wants to,

and I think he did talking about his prostate. Well, there might be a time when he does talk about what type of cancer, but the mere fact he's talking about having cancer. But then you understand. He is not Joe public. But also think about it this way. What if he needs time to process this? I mean, we're talking about,

We're just talking about this breaking news. We so quickly forget that human beings. I'd be guilty of it myself. I actually feel really feel for Camilla tonight. This is the great love of her life. And he is fighting a battle for his life. And she's got to go out and still be the queen, still do all,

going to perform all her functional duties, apparently. He can't do his, but she'll have to do hers, whilst every night going back to the reality that her husband is facing this huge battle. You're right. You're absolutely right. I've been fortunate. I've never, I've never been diagnosed with cancer, but again, friends, family, who are, say everything stops. Everything stops. Everything stops when you just hear...

Everything stops. I'm sorry, you have cancer. And you got William the same with his wife. We don't know what happened with Kate, but it must have been serious. She's off for two weeks. For months. Let's just pivot slightly. Because we were going to run tonight my interview with the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which I did over the weekend. It's actually been running on our YouTube channel, the Piers Morgan has censored YouTube channel. You can see it all there now, unedited, a lot of people watching it at the moment. And we're going to run it at 11 o'clock tonight on Talk TV. It would have aired in this slot if it hadn't been for the big breaking news, obviously.

But I'll pay one clip that's really blown up today on social media and get the Pax reaction. I can just imagine what the reaction will be from at least two of them. But let's take a look. I'll bet you £1,000 to a refugee charity. You don't get anybody on those planes before the election. Will you take that bet? I want to get the people on the planes, right? Of course I want to get the people on the plane.

Thousand pounds. Right? I want to get the people on the plane. And you say you're scratching your head. Albania is an example of why it's working. We created a new returns agreement with Albania. It meant that if people came here illegally, we could send them back, and you know what? They stopped coming. Rwanda...

I do not think it's going to work for you. Okay, well, we'll have to agree to disagree. That's my grim prediction. But you don't have an alternative way to solve that problem then? No, I'm not Prime Minister. minister. Well, the truth is, I'm not. And if you want the top job, these are the problems that you have to solve. I mean, Kevin, it's blown up as being in a terrible moment. He should never have done it. I think he, in his head, he was trying to compute, should I take this bed or not? If I don't,

because it looked like I don't believe in my policy. I didn't plan it. I just thought about it on the moment. I was like, because I feel this Rwanda plan is such a weird hill for someone as logical and sensible otherwise as Rishie Sunaq to find himself dying on. Yeah. What it looks like it made, due to his tenure as Premier. Right, I think you'll win. Albania isn't Rwanda, because there's only Albanians go there, he's going to send all sorts of people to Rwanda, you should not have taken that bet

and he looked a naive fool to do so. He looked glib. Ava, what did you think? With a thousand quid to spend. I like your question, because I think it showed the callousness of the Prime Minister and the politicking that is going on with this Rwanda policy. You cannot tell me that's a man that cares about curbing immigration or whatever he claims to do so.

I mean, that is pure politics. Well, the reason I think it was effective was simply that I really don't believe this policy is going to work. I do not think before he has to call the next election he's going to get any illegal migrant on a plane to Rwanda. It's going to get caught up in Parliament, it's going to get caught up in the courts. But even if it doesn't, as I said to him,

you're talking about a couple of hundred people, a vast expense who may or may not end up in Rwanda. If they have a legitimate asylum claim, they don't get sent back to the UK. They stay in Rwanda. That doesn't seem right to me. I said none of this seems right to me. So none of this seems right to me.

Yeah, and if you take a giant step back as well, you remember that this is all about curbing the number of people who are crossing the channel. And if you subscribe to that school of thought, this policy is having no effect on that whatsoever. So, you know, stands with... And the bigger problem, Esther, I said to him, is this shocking O&S forecast,

which we could be seeing a population of 73 million by 2036, because actually legal immigration is a far bigger problem for this country than what is now 30,000 people, coming over on small boats. Yes, I'm concerned about you. Yes, it shouldn't be happening. Yes, I want it stopped.

But actually, when you've got nearly 800,000 people coming in legally this year alone, and the projection is our population dramatically increasing, I want my Prime Minister focusing on Vax. Well, this is the thing. Because they've prioritized Rwanda so much, they've taken the oxygen out of what they really should be focusing on, which is bringing down legal migration. I mean, 40% of the figures that we're seeing in legal migration are dependents, right?

And many of them, in terms of regions globally, are from chain migration from Southeast Asia mainly. The Tory should be banging on about that, but they're not. They're talking about Rwanda. And I do think that there will be people on the planes before the mention. What did you think of the bet? Should he have taken the bet? I think he should have taken the bet because he would look like a wimp otherwise.

But I think he should have also said, but don't forget, Piers, we're also talking about legal migration, which is an even bigger priority. No political instinct, that's the issue. What he should have said to the bet is you come back, and I'll give you another interview. We're running at a time. We'll come back again later later than a week to this. And you can watch the whole Rishi Sunak interview on our YouTube channel now and it will air on Talk TV at 11 o'clock. Well, that's it from us on Piers Morgan, a sense of night,

a show we didn't expect to do, a show I'm sad to have been doing. I wish King Charles III and his family all the very best as he fights cancer. And we just hope that, as they say, long live the king. And I hope it all goes well, then. Thank you for watching. Good night.