New interview with William

[elprup]

Some interesting snippets here. He comes across as very sensible, grounded and decent. I was slightly surprised to hear him mention Harry’s name!

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-15156825/Prince-William-agenda-reform-monarchy-King.html

So what do you assume now that you know he hasn’t got prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the one cancer they have said its not. I don't see why they would lie and say its not prostate cancer if it is.

Many people have terminal cancer and manage to lead full lives for many years before dropping off the perch from something only slightly related. And many are in remission and it comes back with a vengeance and you're gone within the year.

Agreed. And under immense pressure.
While he's used to being watched and observed, signing historical documents that people will be looking at for centuries with millions of people watching you must have been nerve racking.

I definitely think William will schedule a rehearsal of that stuff before the event

I don’t assume anything. Because I have nothing to base any assumption on! I am a little puzzled why it appears to be such a bad thing to assume that a man of his age diagnosed with cancer but still obviously managing to live a reasonably normal life would be likely to have prostate cancer, and may well continue to live with the disease. But hey. This is a strange place.

Particularly older people in whom all the body’s processes have slowed and this affects cancer cells as well.

I don’t think anyone has suggested it’s bad (except for you just then ofc). Bit weird to assume prostate cancer with no evidence (even if you didn’t know it was explicitly denied) but then not assume anything else because there is nothing to base it on. I mean prostate cancer is the most common in men but it’s nothing like the majority, it’s still way more likely to be something else even without the denial.

William should take the opportunity to modernise the RF from the start and insist on using his own BIC biro.

Using a product developed in 1950 doesn’t seem particularly modern to me.

it Is perfectly reasonable to assume prostate cancer in a man in his 70s who is known to have cancer, but who appears to be leading a reasonably normal life. If it’s not prostate cancer then any further speculation is useless. Particular speculation such as that of another poster that he has terminal cancer.

it Is perfectly reasonable to assume prostate cancer in a man in his 70s who is known to have cancer, but who appears to be leading a reasonably normal life.

Prostate cancer accounts for only 25% of cancers in men over 75. So I don’t think it’s particularly reasonable to assume that with no evidence, when it’s three times more likely to be something else.

The palace specifically said not prostate cancer.

My guess is bladder cancer, given he got the diagnosis after prostate surgery so they might well have found an early bladder cancer while looking around internally. Treatment with BCG would be weekly and can go on for ages.

But this is very much a guess. However there are lots of cancers that are not imminently terminal, and while may not be cured the treatment can be successful in controlling it for years.

The late Queen is a good example as she had myeloma which can be treated for years and years before being terminal.

So it would seem that Charles’ cancer narrative is more complicated than you thought. Which rather underlines the fact that everyone is entitled to say as much or as little about their personal cancer journey as they wish. And that they really shouldn’t be judged for doing so 😊

Wet ink from a fountain pen, lasts longer and doesn't fade the way biro does. Hence those documents are signed with ink.
Before the recent invention of secure digital signatures most contacts were signed with fountain pen.
Somehow I can't see those declarations being done digitally so it will be fountain pen for William too.

Here we go again with the complicated cancer scenarios ....

I hadn’t thought about that. DC spilt water on her school notes one day and I started ironing them to dry/flatten it. The iron completely erased the ink. I was astonished how effective it was.

You have to bear in mind University grade inflation in the last 20 years

In 2004 around 10-11% got a first
In 2025 around 30% get firsts

(on my course in 1983 zero students got firsts - it was reserved for the truly exceptional)

Not remotely complicated!

Wow! I didn't think biro would come of quite that easily but I knew it fades over time.
This is the reason documents that people want to last are never written in biro. Documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, deeds for grave plots etc.

Wet ink, fountain pen, sort of soaks into paper in a way biro or photocopy ink doesn't.
If you are trying to determine if the copy of a signature is original see if you can smudge it with a wet finger, If its real it will smudge if its a photocopy it won't.

I've just googled the difference fountain pen is water based, ball pen is oil based.

To be fair, it might have been a gel pen. But definitely not fountain pen.

Fountain pens also glide over the surface of the paper. I remember years ago (even at that point it wasn’t really relevant anymore) being told you shouldn’t write a speech in biro/ballpoint as it pressed into the paper and caused it to curl so when you put it on a lectern it would slide off.

Sharpie does a very nice ultra fine point marker. I don't know if you have Sharpies in the UK, but they are beloved of graffiti artists who use them to mark up subway tunnels, walls, etc.

I find they tend to seep into paper too much. Not tried it on walls but they don’t work well on clothing labels when labelling kids clothes for school. May be subway walls are their raison d’etre.

Is that an example of someone showing who they are, then we should believe them?

We have Sharpies. I love my Sharpies much I don't even share them with the grandchildren.

I have no idea about the longevity of a sharpie, but I can't imagine William pulling a Sharpie out his pocket to sign those huge historical documents
All the pomp, ceremony, stuff polished within an inch of its life, and a Sharpie. 😆

The issue wasn't so much the pen, the issue was the table was far too small for those huge documents and the pen holder thing. Which they would have clocked if they'd done a rehearsal with bits of paper the same size.