AGEUSIA

King Charles Says He Lost His Sense of Taste From Cancer Treatment

He made the remarks when talking to a cancer survivor Monday.

King Charles III said today that he had lost his sense of taste due to his ongoing treatment for cancer.

Buckingham Palace has not said what cancer the king is suffering from or how he is being treated—though radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy can all affect a person’s sense of taste.

He made the remarks while comparing notes about his treatment with a retired soldier who was treated for testicular cancer.

British Army veteran Aaron Mapplebeck told reporters that he told the king he had undergone nine weeks of intensive chemotherapy last year for testicular cancer. When he mentioned that he had lost his sense of taste, Charles said the same thing had happened to him.

Charles made the comments while making a rare joint appearance with his son Prince William at the Army Aviation Centre, where his heir was made Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. Father and son embraced as the handover took place.

Prince Harry was once tipped to take on the role now handed to his estranged brother, as he served with the Air Corps in Afghanistan.

The palace announced last year that William would be appointed to the role, however the decision to formalize the handover Monday was only announced last week —just hours after Harry revealed that his father had declined to see him when he was visiting the U.K. Charles’ camp subsequently briefed that no request for a meeting was made by Harry.

Duncan Larcombe, former royal editor of the Sun and author of a biography of Prince Harry, told The Daily Beast earlier Monday: “William’s appointment as the head of Prince Harry’s old regiment is a bitter kick in the teeth for Prince Harry. It really will have got under his skin as it was one of the few things he truly excelled at. Plus, the sight of William and his father so closely and visibly united today makes a striking parallel to the events of last week, where Charles went to great lengths to avoid being seen with Harry.”

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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