Queen Camilla reportedly visited a cancer charity last year before King Charles’s own diagnosis was publicly announced, but even though she knew about it, she could not “show the slightest flicker of vulnerability”, a royal aide has claimed. Buckingham Palace announced that the King had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer on February 5 2024 – just 10 days after he was admitted to hospital for a corrective procedure on an enlarged prostate. It was clarified that the cancer was not connected with his recent surgery.
A few days earlier, on January 31, the Queen opened a new Maggie’s cancer support centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London.During her visit, Camilla, as president of Maggie’s, spoke with staff and met with the architectural team, who played a key role in designing the centre, but she did not show what she was experiencing privately. A royal aide told Newsweek: “She [Queen Camilla] had to undertake public duties knowing that the King had been diagnosed with cancer, including a visit to a Maggie’s centre in London, and yet not be able to show the slightest flicker of vulnerability when she went there knowing what she knew privately.”
During a poignant moment, the Queen was asked how her husband is doing, to which she replied stoically: “He’s getting on, doing his best.”
The outlet claimed that Camilla faced a challenging time while “being pulled in two directions” as she wanted to stay home and support her husband but also step up for the monarchy.
The source added: “It was astonishing how she balanced both of those roles alongside her own private anxieties, in particular during the first period of about a week or 10 days.”
Charles ended up taking a short break from public-facing duties to undergo treatment for his illness until April when he began his return to royal life and even went on a royal tour to Australia and Samoa by the end of the year.
The Princess of Wales was also diagnosed with a type of cancer last year.
Princess Kate underwent preventative cancer treatment, and in January of this year, she announced that her cancer is in remission.