'Terrible thing': King Charles opens up on life after 70

King Charles on Wednesday officially opened the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham. 

During his visit, the monarch met with medical professionals, volunteers and patients in the facility’s 4,000-square-metre enclosed “Winter Garden.” 

King Charles cracked a joke while speaking with 85-year-old patient Jacqueline Page: “Well this is the terrible thing, as I’m discovering already, bits don’t work so well, do they? Once you get past 70.” 

Charles, who is undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024, has remained visible and active in public life. 

His treatment, described by Buckingham Palace as ongoing into 2025, is reportedly well-managed and progressing positively. 

He was briefly hospitalized in March 2025 due to temporary side effects from the treatment, a setback from which he quickly recovered. 

In a rare health update in July, the King told a well-wisher that he’s “feeling a lot better now,” describing the experience as “just one of those things.” 

Despite his treatment, the 76-year-old has continued to carry out royal duties.