A Cancer Diagnosis and an Uncertain Path Forward

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When Buckingham Palace announced last month that King Charles III had been admitted to a London hospital for a prostate procedure, Mark Landler, the London bureau chief of The New York Times, was surprised by the palace’s transparency.

Mr. Landler has been covering the British royal family since 2019. The family is typically reticent about revealing private information to the public, he explained in a recent conversation.

“It was interesting that the palace made a deliberate decision, at King Charles’s behest, to share a little more information about his medical condition and treatment than it had with Queen Elizabeth throughout her life,” Mr. Landler said. “It’s a milestone in royal family communication that they said so much publicly.”

Mr. Landler’s surprise only intensified after the palace announced this month that the king had been diagnosed with cancer, though it did not disclose the kind of cancer.

Although several journalists at The Times write about aspects of the royals, Mr. Landler keeps the closest eye on them. In an interview, he discussed his experience covering the British monarchy and what questions he hoped to answer going forward. This interview has been edited and condensed.

Why do you think Buckingham Palace has been transparent about Charles’s health?

Charles has a lot to do with it. In the various announcements that were made about his prostate treatment and cancer diagnosis, the palace said that the king wanted to encourage men his age to have a prostate checkup. He also wanted to stem wild speculation about his condition. There’s no question that when a prominent figure like Charles talks openly about his health condition and medical treatment, it can have a positive impact.