Crown Prince Aleksandar's emotional words to Charles: He reveals for Telegraf he recently beat cancer himself

Photo: Milena Djordjevic, Tanjug/AP

The news that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer has deeply shaken many world statesmen and members of royal families around the world. Among them is the heir to the Yugoslav throne, Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, who spoke for Telegraf exclusively about how he felt when he learned about the illness of King Charles.

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"I am deeply concerned about the unfortunate circumstances that have sadly befallen my dear cousin and friend, HRH King Charles III, and encouraged by his courage to share information about his health with his people despite the illness. I send him my message of support, but also understanding and compassion. The love and care of all of us who know him, as well as his people, all of us who deeply care about him, gives support to His Majesty to persevere and win in this most important battle," said Crown Prince Aleksandar.

He then added that the news that the disease is in an early stage gives great hope.

"The unfortunate word, 'cancer,' is not something anyone wants to hear. I can speak about this from a personal perspective, because I know very well how one feels when one hears it. How scary and horrifying it is for the family as well, all the mixed emotions and you can't think about anything else. I can relate to this as I recently beat cancer myself.

I avoided talking about it publicly, as it is a personal matter that concerns only my family and myself5, but King Charles's openness about his health prompted and encouraged me to share my experience as well. I'm sharing it with others now, because news like this, although tragic, can encourage people to take steps and take better care of their health," said the crown prince.

Statistics already show that when word got out recently about His Majesty's previous problems with the prostate, the number of preventive examinations in the United Kingdom increased significantly.

"That's why people should hear about my experiences, see how this is something that can happen to all of us. But when we are responsible towards ourselves, the outcome can be good," Crown Prince Aleksandar told us.

Photo: Tanjug/Royal Court PR/Filip Plavcic

His Royal Highness then spoke to Telegraf for the first time about his battle with cancer, which he recently managed to overcome.

"In December of last year, I found out that I had early stage prostate cancer. A year before I had a regular check-up, the doctors did an MRI check and noticed something suspicious. A biopsy was done and at that time everything was fine. A year later, although I felt no problems, the MRI again showed the images that worried the doctors, but this time the results of the biopsy showed what we all had feared. At that moment, I was terrified. But I was not alone.

And I'm not just talking about the family and friends who knew and provided support, which meant so much to me and cannot be described in words, but also about all the other people who are fighting this disease. After the diagnosis, I strictly adhered to the instructions and followed all the steps that the doctors asked me to take, did all the necessary tests before the intervention, had surgery, did all the mandatory controls after the intervention and at the end of it all I heard the happiest words from my doctor - 'Now everything's fine'," he recounted.

The crown prince says that he plans to continue with regular medical check-ups going forward.

"I appeal on everyone to follow this example and do the same. Be responsible towards yourself, listen to the advice of your doctor and take care of your health, protect and cherish it as the greatest wealth and gift you will ever receive. And to conclude, I hope with all my heart that His Majesty the King (Charles), my dear friend and relative, will also win," he said.

Crown prince has close relationship with British royal family

Crown Prince of Yugoslavia Aleksandar II Karadjordjevic is related to the British royal family through his grandmother Queen Maria, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. As they are related, the heir to the Yugoslav throne and his descendants are in the line of succession to the British throne - currently 134th in that line.

The late British Queen Elizabeth II was the godmother of Crown Prince Aleksandar since as a princess she baptized him in London in 1945 together with her father, British King George VI.

Crown Prince Aleksandar was born in 1945 in a suite in the Claridge's Hotel, which was declared the territory of Yugoslavia for one day, so that the future king could be born on his own soil.

Telegraf visited this apartment last year, and hotel employees confirmed that he has fond memories of that place, because during his visits to London, he likes to stay there.

Aleksandar and his spouse Katarina (Katherine) Karadjordjevic were among the guests during the coronation of King Charles in May last year.

Considering that he has known King Charles for many years, the heir to the throne then revealed to Telegraf what he is like as a private person.

"He is a very direct and extremely intelligent, with many interests and a great sense of humor. People usually see him going about his official duties, previously as prince of Wales, now as king, which almost never end (as the monarch in a constitutional parliamentary monarchy is effectively on duty around the clock, seven days a week).

The protocol requires of him to always conduct himself in a serious and official manner, but even in those situations you can see that true trait of his character, when he interacts with people, starts communicating, or jokes when no one expects it. And the people are often positively surprised by that, but it is not a surprise to us who know him personally.

I recently received a funny video from a good friend that is a good example - it's a skit involving many famous British actors, where at the end, the king appears. That's what Charles III is like," Karadjordjevic revealed to us at the time.

The Buckingham Palace announced yesterday afternoon that Charles was diagnosed with cancer during a visit to the hospital due to the enlarged prostate, but it was not specified what type of cancer it is.

A statement added that the British king will undergo regular therapy, which is why he will postpone his planned public appearances until further notice.

(Telegraf.rs)