Well, this didn’t last long.

RT:

King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.

In a statement, the Palace said the health issue was discovered during the king’s recent hospital visit for his enlarged prostate. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” the statement read, stressing that it was not prostate cancer.

No further information on the exact type of cancer, its stage, or its prognosis has been provided.

“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual,” the statement read.

The monarch remains “wholly positive about his treatment” and is looking forward to “returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” it added.

Prostate cancer is operable. They’re saying it’s not prostate cancer. There are a lot of different types of cancers that could be found during a prostate appointment. Some of them are operable and some are not. Who knows.

A number of anti-monarchy protesters from the group Republic were arrested at a demonstration in London that took place on the day of King Charles III’s coronation. Graham Smith, the group’s leader, was among those arrested. https://t.co/zrKWve0liI pic.twitter.com/fFxgOORvbc

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 6, 2023

Police broke their promise that our anti-monarchy protest could go ahead. They arrested Republic’s key organisers, confiscated Republic’s official placards, photographed us like we were criminals & erected barriers in front of our protest so the king would not see us#NotMyKing pic.twitter.com/k42Mhm7uVS

— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) May 6, 2023

I watched most of the coronation.

Aside from the diversity, which actually made me sick, I think it was beautiful.

I didn’t write about it because everyone is writing about it and I didn’t really have much to say about it.

There’s also a sadness to it. It is all of these old traditions, still alive, but my faith in Charles is low.

Of course, I hope and pray he’s a good king.

Statistically, it does not seem very likely.

I did, however, find it funny that “people” – presumably funded by an American-backed NGO – went out and protested against the existence of the monarchy and were promptly arrested.

Reuters:

Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic hours before King Charles’ coronation on Saturday, taken away from a few hundred protesters who had gathered among the crowds lining the procession route in central London.

Republic had said it would mount the biggest protest against a British monarch in modern history. Protesters wore yellow t-shirts to stand out and held up signs saying “Not My King”.

They spent most of the service booing or singing songs such as “he is just a normal man”.

But London police had warned they would take action if protesters tried to “obstruct the enjoyment and celebration” of the day, and they formed a ring around the group.

The group’s website has an “about” page that does not disclose funding.

This is always a red flag. Every group like this has funding, and if they are keeping it a secret, they have a reason to do so.

Republic said its leader Graham Smith had been detained on Saturday morning and a photo posted on Twitter showed him sitting on the ground surrounded by police officers.

British police arrested Graham Smith, leader of anti-monarchy group Republic, and a number of other individuals as part of what they called ‘a significant police operation’ ahead of King Charles’ coronation https://t.co/cLTAhkXcPl pic.twitter.com/3kPMF8kXbJ

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 6, 2023

Police did not confirm Smith’s arrest but said they had arrested four people on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and three people on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage in what they called a “significant police operation”.

Republic said hundreds of its placards had been seized.

Protests also took place in Glasgow in Scotland and Cardiff in Wales, with signs held up saying: “Abolish the monarchy, feed the people.” On social media, many contrasted the cost of living crisis in Britain with the pomp and pageantry on display at the coronation.

Although the protesters were in a minority compared with the tens of thousands gathered on London’s streets to support the king, polls suggest support for the monarchy is declining and is weakest among young people.

With the crown passing from Queen Elizabeth to her less popular son, republican activists hope Charles will be the last British monarch to be crowned.

“It has a hereditary billionaire individual born into wealth and privilege who basically symbolises the inequality of wealth and power in our society,” said lawmaker Clive Lewis, who was among the anti-monarchy protesters.

This is the great fear – the abolishing of the monarchy.

A bad king is better than no king.

If you have no king, you have a conundrum. You make everything that much more difficult to fix.