By DAVID MATTHEWS | dmatthews@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News
Buckingham Palace and the British government began reviewing hundreds of documents related to King Charles III’s future funeral following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, according to a report.
Little is known about Charles’ mysterious illness outside of his initial announcement of “a form of cancer” in February, but sources close to the royals told The Daily Beast he “is significantly more unwell than his aides are letting on.”
The palace said several months ago it would not provide a “running commentary” about his health, but the 75-year-old king, who was coronated roughly a year ago, is reportedly undergoing radiotherapy treatment regularly in London.
“Of course he is determined to beat it and they are throwing everything at it,” a source told the outlet. “Everyone is staying optimistic, but he is really very unwell. More than they are letting on.”
Plans for “Operation Menai Bridge” — the purported codeword for his death — are being reviewed by the Cabinet Office, the government department that handles for state funerals, with an emphasis on evaluating what went right and wrong in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022 after 70 years on the throne.
“The plans have been dusted off and are actively being kept up to date,” a former staffer told The Daily Beast. “It’s no more than what you would expect given the king has been diagnosed with cancer. But the circulation of them has certainly focused minds.”
However, a military source told the outlet that planning “began the day after they buried the queen” because the funeral will have so many intricacies, including the guest list, security threats and time crunch.
Christopher Andersen, a bestselling royal writer, told The Daily Beast that there’s really no way to tell how Charles’ health is faring because of the lack of transparency, which will only lead to more “gossip and speculation … and conspiracy theories.”
News of the review comes several weeks after Kate Middleton revealed her own cancer diagnosis following weeks of fervent speculation about her whereabouts and vague statements from the palace that were widely criticized and derided.