King Charles joked that ‘bits don’t work so well do they once you get past 70’ as he met patients during a visit to the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Sandwell
King Charles III talks with Prostate cancer patient Matthew Shinda during his visit to officially open the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham. (Image: PA)
The King offered words of encouragement to a cancer patient during his visit to a hospital today, also providing an update on his own health.
Following his break in Balmoral, Charles resumed his Royal duties by making a trip to Sandwell paying a visit to the newly established Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.
A throng of staff, patients, and volunteers assembled to greet Charles as he formally inaugurated the 736-bed facility located in Smethwick.
At the hospital, the King, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, met with both patients and staff within the hospital’s new enclosed winter garden.
During the engagement, he encountered one patient, Matthew Shinda, 73, from Oldbury, who shared his diagnosis of prostate cancer with Charles.
Matthew informed the King: “I’ve got what you’ve got”, before revealing: “Last stage. I could go today, I could go tomorrow,” reports the Mirror.
Since January of last year, the King has been receiving treatment for cancer.
He was admitted to the hospital due to an enlarged prostate, which led to the discovery of his cancer.
Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm the type of cancer Charles has, but it is believed not to be prostate cancer.
The King enquired about the duration of Matthew’s stay and asked: “Have they been giving you all the right treatment? Marvellous nurses.”
He also humorously commented on the building’s layout, saying that “you have to go up endless lifts to go anywhere.”
Matthew told to the King: “It’s nice to see that you’re recovering well.”
The King responded: “I’m not too bad thank you very much.”
The patient then shared with him: “I have the same disease. It’s prostate. Last stage. I could go today, tomorrow.”
Charles remarked: “Half the problem is detecting it, isn’t it, in time.”
Matthew then detailed how he had been diagnosed when doctors discovered a previously unnoticed lump.
The King commented: “As long as they’re making you comfortable.”
Matthew replied: “Of course. That’s one of the priorities. Making me comfortable.”
Charles observed: “The great thing I think is they’re getting better and better at dealing with these things.
“The trouble is there’s always hope down the road.
“I am sorry about that, it’s so frustrating.
“We’re probably about the same age are we?”
Matthew informed the King he was about one year older, which Charles found amusing.
He then expressed his desire for a drink, and told the King he enjoys anything “as long as it’s nice”.
Charles jested he should have brought a whisky, stating: “It’s supposed to be very good for the heart”.
The King also enquired about his daughters and grandchildren, and mentioned he was “lucky” to have two daughters who were taking turns to visit.
Matthew said after the visit: “I was elated. He showed concern.”
Earlier, Charles had a heartwarming encounter with Jacqueline Page, 85, a resident of Great Barr, where she lives with her husband Jeff, 82.
Her father had the honour of meeting the then Prince Charles during his visit to Birmingham in 1978.
Charles expressed his concern, saying: “I do hope this isn’t causing too much interruption.”
Jacqueline warmly greeted him, saying: “Lovely to meet you. I wish it was in better circumstances.”
To which Charles responded: “I hope you’re being looked after.”
She assured him: “I’m having the best attention, I can assure you.”
In a light-hearted moment, Jacqueline quipped: “I’m wearing out.”
Charles humorously replied: “Well this is the terrible thing, as I’m discovering already, bits don’t work so well do they once you get past 70.”
He showed interest in Jeff’s wellbeing at home and asked Jacqueline about her treatment.
The couple shared that they have been happily married for 40 years.
Jacqueline reminisced about a previous encounter, telling him: “I’ve met you before.
“Perry Barr stadium. You came in a helicopter and you got out of the helicopter and you walked straight towards my parents.”
He joked: “That was a bit of luck, wasn’t it?”
She continued: “They shook hands with you.
“I didn’t get a look in, so I’m so delighted you’re talking to me today.”
Charles fondly remembered: “It was a wonderful old helicopter I seem to remember.
“I used to fly it. Because I’d flown them in the Navy.
“I left the Navy in 1976 but I could still remember how to fly it.
“That was the great thing. I’m so glad I’ve got to meet you.”
The King subsequently encountered Hernata Yonas, who became the hospital’s very first newborn.
He enquired with mum Semhar Tesfu and dad Yonas Kflu regarding their experience at the facility.
Hernata made her arrival at 8.48am – merely 90 minutes following the maternity ward’s official opening.
Yonas described it as “great” that the King demonstrated such interest.
Charles also met Elsie Kudozia, 37, alongside baby Elyanna, who entered the world at the hospital on Monday.
When questioned about her conversation with the King, Elsie remarked: “I can’t explain it. It’s very nice.”
Tremendous applause erupted from the assembled crowds as he acknowledged them and other hospital staff members.
The King meets patient Jacqueline Page and her husband Jeff(Image: PA)
Moments before Charles revealed a commemorative plaque, former NHS chief and hospital chairman Sir David Nicholson addressed the gathering: “Your Majesty, guests, colleagues, and friends.
“It is a tremendous honour to stand before you today on this momentous occasion.
“This is a day of immense pride, not just for those of us who have been part of this project from its inception, but for the entire community who will benefit from this world-class facility for generations to come.
“Your Majesty, it is with the deepest gratitude and immense pride that we welcome you here today to officially open Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.”
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which serves a population of 750,000 local people, provides community, hospital, and general practice-based care.
The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, one of the largest hospitals to open in England in the last decade, welcomed its first patients on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Crowds of staff, patients, and volunteers gathered to welcome Charles(Image: PA)
The King’s visit to the hospital was his second engagement of the day in the West Midlands, having earlier toured the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham following the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman.
During his visit to the Oratory, the King viewed historic items in the library and the cardinal’s personal effects in his room, which has remained untouched since his death in 1890.
