Joy Behar Finds King Charles' Cancer Diagnosis 'Unfair' After Waiting Decades to 'Finally' Be King
Joy Behar would have a few things to say to Queen Elizabeth II — if she were still alive.
During the Tuesday, February 6, episode of The View, the famed panelist seemingly questioned the late monarch's intentions as the longest-reigning ruler in British history after Behar learned about King Charles III's shocking cancer diagnosis earlier this week.
"Poor Charles," Behar said of the King, 75 — who only ascended to the throne upon his mother's death in September 2022 — emphasizing how her son waited "so long" to receive the crown.
The talk show co-host continued: "I mean, [Queen Elizabeth] was in the position for 70 years, you know, and the longest reign. I think that she could have used some term limits."
"It’s like, why not step down and let Charles have his day in the sun?" Behar, 81, asked. "The poor guy, he finally gets to be king, and now he has an illness. That doesn’t seem fair. There’s something wrong about it."
The dad-of-two's official coronation ceremony was held in May 2023, though he took over all royal duties after Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 eight months prior.
The View's discussion of King Charles' health woes comes after Buckingham Palace announced His Majesty's devastating diagnosis on Monday, February 5.
"During the king’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer," the message stated. "His majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties."
The message continued: "Throughout this period, his majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual. The king is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."
While discovering the King's cancer diagnosis was certainly frightening for himself and loved ones, a source said it was caught "very early," as OK! previously reported.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak doubled down on the optimistic timeline of his prognosis, stating, "Obviously, like everyone else, [I'm] shocked and sad, and just all our thoughts are with him and his family. Thankfully, this has been caught early."
He added that he hopes Charles "gets the treatment that he needs and makes a full recovery."
"That’s what we’re all hoping and praying for, and I’m of course in regular contact with him and will continue to communicate with him as normal. He’ll be in our thoughts and our prayers, many families around the country listening to this will have been touched by the same thing and they know what it means to everyone. So we’ll just be willing him on and hopefully we can get through this as quickly as possible," Sunak concluded.