King Charles III is set to attend hospital next week for treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Buckingham Palace said the King’s condition is benign but he will undergo a “corrective procedure”.
The 75 year old’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation, the Palace said.
The announcement comes shortly after it was revealed the Princess of Wales is in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery.
It is unusual for medical updates about two senior royals to be released on the same day, but it is understood it was necessary because the King had to cancel engagements scheduled for Thursday.
He had been due to meet foreign dignitaries and cabinet members in Scotland on Thursday, but those meetings have been cancelled on medical grounds.
It is also thought the King was keen to share his diagnosis with the public to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked.
“In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” the statement said.
Benign prostate enlargement – which is non-cancerous – is common in men over 50 and is not usually a serious condition, according to the NHS website.
Around one in three men over the age of 50 will have some symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which is a gland that sits just below the bladder.
While it is not usually a serious threat to health, it can cause symptoms and problems, including difficulty passing urine or emptying the bladder.
While it is not usually a serious threat to health, it can cause symptoms and problems, including difficulty passing urine or emptying the bladder.
The condition does not mean the patient has an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The NHS has published guidance on how it is treated.
While it is unclear what corrective procedure the King will undergo, there are a few ways of managing it including surgery, lasers and even a steam treatment.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace was the second significant piece of health news about senior royals to emerge on Wednesday.
The Princess of Wales will spend up to two weeks in hospital recovering from abdominal surgery on Tuesday.
Her procedure was planned and successful, Kensington Palace said. Further details about her condition were not disclosed, but it is understood not to be cancer-related.
Details about the health of senior royals are rarely disclosed, so it is striking for two updates about two separate figures to be released on the same day.
Buckingham Palace does not routinely provide a commentary on health conditions and releases limited information on the occasions when it does provide public updates.
By Sean Seddon | BBC
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