Trump says Prince William told him King Charles is 'fighting very hard' after cancer diagnosis
President-elect Donald Trump's recounting of a recent conversation with Britain's Prince William has thrown a new spotlight on the health of William's father, King Charles III.
The two men spoke in Paris over the weekend for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral.
Asked about their conversation, Trump told the New York Post that according to William, Charles is "fighting very hard" after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Charles, 76, did not attend the cathedral's reopening events.
Buckingham Palace first announced the monarch's cancer diagnosis in February, shortly after he underwent a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.
The palace has not shared what type of cancer Charles was diagnosed with, nor his treatment.
According to the Post, Trump said he also spoke with William about his wife, Kate, the Princess of Wales, who announced her own cancer diagnosis in March.
"I had a great talk with the prince," Trump said. "And I asked him about his wife and he said she's doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad. We had a great talk for half an hour, a little more than half an hour. We had a great, great talk."
Trump's account of his conversation with William caught the attention of royal watchers due to his description of Charles as "fighting very hard."
The last time Trump was seen publicly with Charles was during Trump's 2019 state visit to Britain, a visit during which he also met with William.
The palace, which has shared few details about Charles' health since announcing his cancer diagnosis, has not publicly commented on Trump's remarks to the New York Post.
A royal source who spoke with ABC News downplayed Trump's remarks, arguing that they could have been in reference to the king being courageous in continuing to be visible and active while living with an illness.
Charles, who became king in 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took more than two months away from public duties after his diagnosis was announced.
He returned to the public spotlight at the end of April with a visit to a cancer treatment center, but continued to maintain a limited schedule of engagements.
When asked by a patient at the cancer center how he was doing, Charles replied, "Not too bad. It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?," according to the U.K.'s The Telegraph newspaper.
In June, Charles joined Kate and other members of the royal family at the annual Trooping the Colour celebration, and in October, he and his wife Queen Camilla took part in an 11-day official visit to Australia and Samoa.
More recently, Charles hosted a state visit for the emir of Qatar at Buckingham Palace.
