The late Queen Mother was secretly twice treated for cancer - once in 1966 when she had a tumour removed from her colon and again in 1984 when the royal had a growth excised from her breast.
The good news about the King's cancer treatment today is just the latest instance of the royals opening up about health battles since the start of the his reign.
He was the reluctant king - she was his decidedly reluctant bride. Yet together they led the nation through World War II and enjoyed a fulfilled and happy married life.
They're rich, powerful - and, most importantly, have provided through their bloodline our present King. But you wouldn't want to be one of them!
She was so ill in her final years that her death was seen as a blessing. Wallis Simpson became the Duchess of Windsor, after marrying the man who chose love over duty.
The Queen, 76, patron of SafeLives, hosted four young pioneers from the charity at Buckingham Palace, in London, to discuss how violence and abuse in the home affects younger people.
The Queen, 76, smiled as she departed from Clarence House for Buckingham Palace today, where she will meet with representatives from the SafeLives charity.
The rider, who goes by CycleGaz online, appears to run into Bill Nighy as the lights changed outside the Queen Mother Sports Centre in Westminster, Central London yesterday
Pulling out of his central London home in his maroon state Bentley limousine the monarch, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, appeared in high sprits.
After seven decades of certainty and of a monarch who was an unwavering physical presence on the landscape of British national life, the future suddenly looks less than clear.
The European royal, 51, joined her husband King Felipe VI on an evening visit to the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid.
She was the last of the big spenders. An overdraft of seven million pounds at Coutts, a taste for champagne and fine food, and a string of the most expensive racehorses ever bred.
The King and Queen have been pictured arriving in Aberdeen for a romantic break at their beloved Highland retreat as the couple celebrate 19 years of marriage.
Balmoral Castle is, above all, a family retreat - as the first busload of tourists are about to find out when the King throws opens its doors to the paying public for the first time.
It almost seemed that she would live forever - always charming, smiling, waving and wearing her signature hats. Her life had spanned the 20th century itself,
The royals like their friends to be rich. And few came richer than charming Earl Farquhar, who gave a princess the equivalent of £5 million - just to make her happy.
In a speech to mark the third anniversary of her book club, The Queen's Reading Room, she encourage people to read a book for at least five minutes a day.
He was as bitter as she was sweet. But nobody ever said a word against the Queen Mother 's kid brother, David Bowes-Lyon, because she adored him so. Yet he was an unattractive figure.
Official photos have been tweaked all the way down the decades - to flatter the sitter, of course. It started back in the reign of Queen Victoria, when portraits of her vast family included bits of collage.
From tomorrow, for just a few months, the private quarters of Walmer Castle are going on public display for the first time. The castle has served as a little-known and modest royal residence.
From tomorrow, for just a few months, the private quarters of Walmer Castle are going on public display for the first time. The castle has served as a little-known and modest royal residence.
