A Greek Orthodox monk has claimed that King Charles has turned to him for spiritual advice since being diagnosed with cancer.
The 75-year-old monarch was diagnosed with cancer while undergoing a recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement.
It’s claimed that the King secretly contacted Archimandrite Ephraim, with whom he’s said to have been friends for over 25 years.
The King and the Abbot are understood to have grown close after Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Elder Ephraim, 67, has never spoken about his friendship with the monarch but The Sun reports that he claimed that the King contacted him following his diagnosis.
The Abbot said: ‘Charles has a spiritual sophistication, a spiritual life.
‘Yes, he has been in contact since the diagnosis and I believe he’ll overcome it.’
The elder claimed to have had a ‘very good rapport’ with Charles, who is said to have visited Mount Athos several times, including eight separate visits to the Abbot’s 10th-century Vatopedi monastery.
A source told the newspaper: ‘There are no distractions so he can meditate, pray and follow ancient rituals like getting up at 4am to follow the liturgy which he absolutely adores.’
Charles’ late father, Prince Philip, was born on a kitchen table in Corfu and baptised into the Greek Orthodox church before his family fled the war-torn country when he was a baby.
The King has taken a step back from frontline duties following his diagnosis with the disease, which was discovered while he was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
The form of cancer has not been specified, but aides say it is not of the prostate; the King ‘continues to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual’ while undergoing a schedule of treatments.
He chose to share his diagnosis ‘in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer,’ Buckingham Palace said.
Charles revealed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week that the ‘wonderful messages and cards’ he has received since his diagnosis have ‘reduced me to tears.’
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