King Charles hospitalized due to cancer treatment side effects

King Charles III spent a short time under observation in hospital on Thursday after experiencing side effects from treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace said.

The king has been undergoing treatment since he was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February last year, following tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

The palace said Thursday he had returned to his home, Clarence House, and that, as a precaution, his engagements for Friday would be rescheduled.

The British Monarch was set to receive credentials from the ambassadors of three different nations Thursday afternoon, and on Friday, he was to attend four public engagements in Birmingham, England.

The king "is greatly disappointed to be missing them on this occasion," a palace spokesperson said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY.

"He very much hopes that they can be rescheduled in due course and offers his deepest apologies to all those who had worked so hard to make the planned visit possible."

Next month, the king is expected to visit Italy with his wife, Queen Camilla.