King Charles III meets Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis during a reception with faith leaders at Buckingham Palace in London, Sept. 16, 2022. (Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

By Beth Harpaz February 8, 2024

England’s chief rabbi composed a prayer for a “complete and swift recovery” for King Charles III following the king’s cancer diagnosis. 

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis posted the text of the prayer in Hebrew and English on the social media platform X on Thursday, calling it “refuah sheleima.” That term means “complete healing” in Hebrew and is used to describe a Jewish prayer for healing.

The prayer implores God to send Charles “a perfect healing, and a speedy recovery” so that “he may continue to rule over our nation in good health and happiness.” The prayer also asked God to sustain Charles’ wife, Camilla,  along with “the prince and princess of Wales, and all the royal family,” by “removing anxiety from their hearts.”

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The Chief Rabbi has composed this special prayer for a refuah sheleima – a complete and swift recovery - for His Majesty King Charles III, following his cancer diagnosis. pic.twitter.com/IphXFnxutq

— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) February 8, 2024

The post cites Isaiah 57:18 and Psalms 91:16 as sources. 

Charles, 75, has been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer, and is postponing public appearances while undergoing treatment. He took over as king after his mother’s death in 2022. 

Mirvis, who is Orthodox, is chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 countries, many of them former British colonies. 

Mirvis appears to have a good relationship with Charles. The rabbi was granted a special favor last year the night before Charles’ coronation, when he and his wife were invited to sleep over at Clarence House, which was Charles’ residence at the time. The coronation was on a Saturday morning, and the rabbi and his wife, being Orthodox, were not permitted under Jewish law to drive to the ceremony from their own homes. But Clarence House is a short walk to Buckingham Palace, where the investiture took place.

After Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, died, Charles also changed the timing of a reception so that the rabbi could attend the event early on a Friday without interfering with his Shabbat duties later in the day.

Mirvis has been chief rabbi since 2013, succeeding the late Jonathan Sacks.

Replies posted on X to the rabbi’s posted prayer included “Amen,” “Long live the king,” and at least one critical comment: “So you care about an unelected monarch but you don’t care about thousands of Palestinians who are being massacred by Israel.”

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