Cancer-Stricken Charles Dealt ‘Deeply Personal’ Death ‘Blow’ After 1 of the ‘Most Testing Moments of His Life’
King Charles, who has been battling cancer since 2024, has been hit hard by the death of his friend and former press secretary, Sandy Henney. No cause of death was made public, but according to an online tribute page, her funeral was held at Worthing Crematorium on April 8, 2026.
RadarOnline reported that Charles has been mourning her passing, with sources claiming the timing has been especially tough for him emotionally, given his ongoing health issues.
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“This has come as a deeply personal blow for King Charles at an already difficult time,” one source said. “Sandy was there during some of the most testing moments of his life, and losing someone tied to that period has stirred a lot of reflection.”
A royal aide added, “With everything he is facing health-wise, there is a sense this loss carries extra weight – it’s a reminder of a past that shaped him, and of people who stood alongside him when the monarchy was under intense strain.”
Henney worked as Charles’ press secretary from 1993 to 2000, a period that spanned some of the most turbulent years for the royals. Her time in the job covered Princess Diana’s tragic death and the early days of Charles’ public relationship with Queen Camilla.
She was involved in managing royal communications during an intense time for the family, when public scrunity was high and attitudes were shifting. Henney also traveled with Charles on overseas trips and helped handle sensitive coverage during major royal developments.
Henney left the role in 2000 after a row over photos taken at Prince William’s 18th birthday party. Hello! magazine reported that Henney allegedly arranged for images from the party to be shared exclusively with The Daily Telegraph and ITN, which were then leaked to other outlets.
The situation developed into a wider copyright dispute between the palace and media outlets after Henney was accused of breaching the terms of the original agreement. She resigned shortly after the controversy emerged.
In the 2015 documentary Reinventing the Royals, Henney looked back on her time in the role and admitted she was concerned about backlash toward the monarchy.
“I remember briefing one of our private secretaries on the phone and saying, ‘I know you’re seeing it on television, but you really have to be here in London to feel the atmosphere. People here are really anti-monarchy,'” she said. “I have to say, yeah, I was worried in terms of where was this going to go?”
