A mile down the road from Highgrove House, King Charles’s beloved country estate in Gloucestershire, his neighbours in the village of Tetbury said they have been taken aback by the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
“It was a shock. I was very, very surprised last night when I saw the news,” said Michael Dolan, selling wicker baskets in the market square opposite the Snooty Fox, the pub once frequented by Prince Harry.
At 75, Dolan is the same age as King Charles and the news had hit close to home. “Charles and I are both the same age. We’ve grown up together. It makes you realise at this age you don’t have an automatic right to a clean bill of health,” he said.
The announcement comes less than two years since King Charles acceded to the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth, and many residents expressed sadness that the king was undergoing health issues so early in his reign.
“He waited a very long time for this, and I think it’s very sad this has come along and affected him now. Let’s just hope it’s not that serious,” said Dolan. “I feel sorry for William as well, if he has to take on more and more when he’s still got a young family.”
Pam Wilsdon, 71, visiting her daughter who lives in the village, said the diagnosis was a “real pity” for King Charles, and would be upsetting for the whole royal family.
“It is a shame because he’s just getting into his reign,” she said. “But, unfortunately, it happens to the best of us, even royalty. Whether you’re royal or not, something like this is such a huge blow, not just to the individual affected but the whole family, too. ”
Since his recent operation for an enlarged prostate, during which his cancer was discovered, the king has been recovering in London and Sandringham, but it is thought he may return to Highgrove as his treatment continues and he steps back from some royal duties.
Highgrove is the family home of King Charles and Queen Camilla, bought by the Duchy of Cornwall in 1980, and Prince William and Prince Harry spent much of their childhoods there.
In the centre of the village sits the Highgrove shop, selling royal memorabilia and produce from the estate’s gardens, which thousands of people visit every year.
“I think this [news] affects the whole of Tetbury because Tetbury depends on Highgrove, people travel from all over the world to come here,” said Dolan.
Sue Shortridge, 68, lives in the village of Sherston, just west of Highgrove, where she said the king had contributed to a number of local projects over the years, meaning residents have developed a closer connection with the monarch.
“I was quite taken aback when I heard the news,” she said. “He’s such a nice chap, and I think he’s always so positive about everything.
“I just hope he’ll get well soon and be able to carry on, because I think he’s got a lot to give.”
Andy Harris, 40, said he lives half a mile from the king’s residence and he thinks the news will have particularly affected King Charles’s neighbours.
“I think everyone here is wishing him all the best. Obviously, he lives just down the road, so it’s very close to home; I think people around here feel closer to him,” he said.
“But I think he will have helped raise awareness by speaking about it publicly. Sadly, it’s life, it can happen to anybody.”
