People Magazine regularly features members of the British royal family on their covers, but I’ve gotten so used to People’s Photoshop elves working their magic on the royal photos, I actually did a double-take when I saw this cover. I get it, they wanted a photo where King Charles looked old, but yikes. This is very harsh. As you can see, People Magazine has devoted this week’s cover to King Charles’s health crisis, his cancer and treatment. Much like the Princess of Wales’s mysterious abdominal surgery, palace sources were “shocked” when the palace made the announcement on Monday. Here’s an excerpt from the cover story:

Although the statement offered few details, the palace did reveal that when Charles underwent his prostate procedure, a separate issue of concern was detected, and “subsequent diagnostic tests have revealed the presence of a form of cancer.” (The type of cancer has not been disclosed in keeping with the palace’s tight-lipped approach to medical conditions, but it is not prostate cancer, a spokesman confirmed.)

“In time we might know,” Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue. “but for now, there is a feeling that they have been pretty open.”

The King has begun “regular treatments” and will postpone public duties, the palace statement added, noting that Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

Those close to the family were taken aback by the announcement. “I was really shocked when I heard it,” says a palace insider.

Adds a source who knows him, “He has not looked himself. I put it down to grief—he’d had two deaths close together [his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in Sept. 2022 and his father, Prince Philip in April 2021]—but maybe he wasn’t well, without realizing so. It would take it out of him.”

The news comes just nine months into Charles’s reign and only 17 months after the death of Queen Elizabeth at age 96.

The potential for increased responsibilities for the king’s son and heir, William, 41, once again highlighted the royal family’s thinned ranks since the departure of Charles’s younger son Prince Harry, 39, and the removal of Charles’s scandal-plagued brother Prince Andrew, 63.

Says a palace insider: “He will want to get on with the job. But that will depend on what treatment he is having. It may be utterly draining on him. He will need a lot of support.”

[From People]

I’m surprised that People Mag included this quote: “He has not looked himself. I put it down to grief.” If I’m being honest, I think Charles has aged a lot in the past two years, even if he had some big moments where he appeared to be having the time of his life (especially since he became king). But absolutely, his color has been off for a while and his fingers always look so swollen and uncomfortable. I’ve been thinking about the Princess of Wales too, and wondering how long she’s been dealing with her health issues, because you could make the argument that, like Charles, her appearance changed somewhat dramatically over the past year. Kate and Charles’s health crises seemed to take a lot of palace insiders by surprise too. Hm.

Last October, Charles and Camilla were the guests of honor at a dinner at Mansion House. I remember looking at the photos (below) and thinking that Charles did not look well.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red, cover courtesy of People.