Though the palace previously stated that Queen Camilla was recovering from the chest infection that had sidelined her in early November, the 77-year-old now admits the virus is “[hanging] on for a little bit.”
After missing several royal engagements due to her illness, Camilla made an appearance at the prestigious Booker Prize ceremony on November 12. However, she had to leave early—before the winner was even announced.
Now, her condition has forced her to pull out of yet another major event. The queen will not be attending the Royal Film Performance of Gladiator II, leaving King Charles to walk the red carpet solo.
Following their extensive trip to Australia and Samoa, King Charles, 75, resumed his cancer treatment, while Queen Camilla was advised to rest after falling ill with a chest infection. The illness forced her to cancel several engagements, but the palace had initially expected her to return to public duties in time for Remembrance Day weekend.
“Her Majesty the queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest,” the palace announced on November 5. “With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal…”
Despite these hopes, Camilla was notably absent from the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday. King Charles, alongside Prince William, Kate Middleton—who is gradually returning to public life after her own health battle—and other royal family members, led the solemn ceremony. Meanwhile, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, stepped in for Camilla at the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on November 7.
A palace aide acknowledged the queen’s disappointment at missing these events but assured that she was following doctors’ advice and resting at home.
That same evening, King Charles hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, an event that Queen Camilla had originally been scheduled to co-host.
By November 12, Camilla felt well enough to attend the Booker Prize reception at Clarence House. Passionate about literature, she was eager to be there but had to depart early. Before leaving, she told one of the finalists, “I really wanted” to attend and reassured them that she was “obviously getting much better… A bit of sort of coughing going on.”
“I think I’m on the mend, but these things always take a bit time to get rid of,” she added. “You think you’ve got rid of it, then they just sort of hang on for a little bit, but hopefully I’m on the mend now.”
On November 13, the king and queen were scheduled to celebrate the 100th anniversary of London’s Film and TV Charity, an organization that provides support to struggling cinema workers and their families. However, as her illness lingers, Camilla has been forced to step back from the highly anticipated Gladiator II premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, leaving Charles to attend alone.
According to Newsweek, this event marks “the 72nd Royal Film Performance delivered by the charity, which marks its 100th anniversary this year.”
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