This is a series of CBS Island World. I'm Jean Bachelors with Joseph Sternberg,

a member of the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal who's in London, he writes political economics.

I read the headline, King Charles returns to London to continue cancer treatment.

His Majesty is expected to hold internal meetings this week, including an audience with the Prime Minister.

At the same time, the reports are that Prince William, the Prince of Wales, have stepped forward

to take up much of the duties on the King's calendar until he's able to return to his job of

visiting and reassuring and traveling. However, I wanted to ask Joe about how this is being presented to the British public on television and radio.

I can read the telegraph in the Times, but I don't know how it comes across.

Is it being handled carefully, Joe? Are people

speculating on air? What, how is the coverage on daily radio and TV?

Oh, I don't think that there's any particular speculation about the state of his health, but I do think

that there is a widespread public awareness now that this is happening.

And also I think a lot of goodwill for the king, people really do want him to succeed, you know, both just as a matter of human compassion for a person who is going through this kind of illness that has affected

so many people in their families across the country over the years.

So I think that there is a lot of sympathy about that and people also wanting him to be

able to succeed in his official role.

And I think that this episode is highlighting one of the strange and unique features of any monarchy,

but particularly such a high profile monarchy is the British Royal Institution.

On the one hand it does have this institutional aura around it and this

institutional character and role, but that is all borne by human beings who, you know,

so from time to time fall ill or have to deal with health problems such as a cancer diagnosis.

So I think that there is the sense of both of the human sympathy for him as a person

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