LONDON, UK — As King Charles III receives treatment for cancer, he remains Britain's monarch and head of state.
The king is being treated as an outpatient, the palace said.
It said Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”
News of the king's diagnosis led to a spike in online searches Monday afternoon regarding the royal order of succession.
This is the order of succession to the throne:
1. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. He is known as Prince of Wales and is married to Kate, Princess of Wales. Their three children follow him in the line of succession.
2. Prince George of Cambridge, born in July 2013.
3. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, born in May 2015.
4. Prince Louis of Cambridge, born in April 2018.
5. Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles and Diana, who has relinquished his royal duties but retains his place in line.
6. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May 2019.
7. Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan in June 2021.
8. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s second-eldest son.
9. Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
10. Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born in September 2021.
11. Princess Eugenie, Andrew and Ferguson’s younger daughter.
12. August Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in Feb. 2021.
13. Ernest Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in May 2023.
14. Prince Edward, the queen and Philip’s youngest child.
15. James, Viscount Severn, son of Edward and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
What type of cancer does the King have?
Buckingham Palace didn't say what form of cancer the king has, but said it's not related to the king’s recent treatment for a benign prostate condition.
The palace said “a separate issue of concern was noted” during Charles' treatment for an enlarged prostate last month, when he spent three nights in a London hospital.
“Diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” it said in a statement.
