The King's condition may bring a reconciliation

IN A reign that started with such bright promise, the news of the King's diagnosis comes as a devastating blow.

- Leo McKinstry

Just some 16 months ago, he had to lead the nation in mourning for the death of his beloved mother and our revered Queen Elizabeth.

It was a task he accomplished with magnificent reverence, respect and skill, revealing he would make an excellent sovereign.

Since then, he has lived up to all the high expectations he generated during that unforgettable week of solemnity for the past and hope for the future.

But it is precisely his suitability for his unique role which makes last night's development so shocking.

All his adult life, since his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, was a preparation for the Kingship, so it is extraordinarily cruel that a shadow should already have been cast across the throne.

Yet amid our inevitable apprehension, there is profound cause for hope, largely because of the King's character.

Charles will be sustained by the compassion of his immediate family - including that of his son Harry, whom he has never ceased to love, despite all that has happened in recent years.

Courage

The pair have spoken and Harry will travel to the UK within days.

The King's health condition may now achieve a reconciliation in a way that nothing else could.

Buoyed by the love of those around him, and public support, he now faces a tremendous challenge, one that will require all his resolve and courage. But if any figure in public life has the fortitude for the uncertainty that lies ahead, it is Charles III.

Throughout his life, he has shown an outstanding commitment to duty and a willingness to shoulder whatever burdens he has been handed. Indeed, it could be said that he is uniquely well-equipped for this trial because of the balance of qualities in his nature.

He is both stoical and sensitive, warm and reserved, full of humour and deeply serious. It is this blend of traits that gives him a sense of perspective and purpose.