Prince William and Princess Anne set to step up as exhausted Queen Camilla takes break from work ‘to enjoy sunshine overseas’ after ‘holding down royal fort’ since King Charles’ shock cancer diagnosis
Prince William and Princess Anne will take over from exhausted Queen Camilla as she takes a well-deserved break from work to go on holiday abroad.
Her Majesty has been holding down the royal fortress since King Charles’ shock diagnosis of cancer in January, completing 13 official engagements solo since her husband’s condition came to light.
Camilla, 76, has no royal engagements planned this week and will spend a few days of private downtime with her family before leaving on a private flight tomorrow.
She will return to action on March 11 to represent the King at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Charles will instead release a video message to mark the occasion.
Last week she led the royal family at a memorial service for King Constantine of Greece at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, after William, 41, was suddenly forced to cancel the service for his godfather due to an unspecified ‘personal reason’.
Prince William and Princess Anne will take the reins from exhausted Queen Camilla as she takes a well-deserved break from work
Last week, Queen Camilla was allowed to lead the royal family at the memorial service of King Constantine of Greece, after Prince William was unable to attend due to an unspecified ‘personal reason’.
The Princess Royal (pictured last week with Queen Camilla) and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will conduct their engagements as normal
It was understood his absence was not related to his wife, the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen in public since she underwent abdominal surgery earlier this year, or to the sudden death of Thomas Kingston.
It left Camilla last week as the last major royals standing – prompting some concern about the stripped-down monarchy and questions about who is in charge.at a time when so many important royals are out of the picture.
A royal source told The Sunday Times: ‘Although she did not expect to be in a position to lead the family, the Queen is absolutely willing to do whatever is necessary for the institution.
‘She has been heartened by the public’s response. She has found reserves of energy she didn’t even think she had, and the people in the palace have soared in her appreciation now that she has put her shoulder to the wheel.”
Another, close to the Queen, added: ‘Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to carry on while the King is no longer carrying out public duties. The King is proud and delighted to see the show being kept on the air by the Queen and the rest of the family.”
While Camilla enjoys a well-deserved rest, William, the Princess and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are ready to take on their obligations as usual.
Camilla was the most senior royal to complete orders, with the king continuing to work behind the scenes on his red boxes and other official duties while he underwent treatment.
This included an engagement on Valentine’s Day, when Camilla went solo to Grosvenor House in London for an event celebrating Shakespeare, of whom the king, 75, is a lifelong fan.
Camilla has had 13 official meetings since King Charles was diagnosed with cancer. In the photo: The king leaves Clarence House last week
Queen Camilla has completed thirteen official engagements since King Charles’ condition was announced last month
Camilla is greeted as she attends a thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of the Hellenes at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on February 27.
Camilla speaks to Frank Cottrell-Boyce at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London with finalists, judges and celebrity readers on February 28
Charles and Camilla attended the Sunday morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham last month
Royal author Ingrid Seward told The Sun on Sunday that Charles allegedly insisted his wife take a break.
She said, “He’ll make sure she’s exhausted. Camilla has had the biggest concerns about her husband’s health, but she has also been the one adjusting to the busy schedule of royal engagements and wanting to be there for him and Kate while they both had their health issues. .
“She certainly deserves some rest and relaxation.”
In what has become a typically busy solo schedule, Camilla last week led the royal family at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece in Windsor, hosted a reception for the ‘500 words’ children’s creative writing competition at Buckingham Palace and met the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at Clarence House.
A royal source told The Sunday Times that while Camilla never expected to lead the royal family, she is “absolutely willing to do whatever needs to be done for the institution” and has been “supported” by the king since the king’s diagnosis the public support.
It was also reported that Charles was ‘proud’ of his wife for keeping the show on the road.
Camilla shakes hands with nine-year-old Skylar Copeland during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on February 28
Camilla has taken on the extra burden since King Charles’ shock diagnosis last month
King Charles and Queen Camilla wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace
Princess Catherine continues to recover from abdominal surgery at home, with the support of her husband Prince William
Her public presence has also filled the void left by the highly publicized absence of the 42-year-old Princess of Wales, who was the subject of hysterical speculation on social media last week.
Kate is still recovering from abdominal surgery in Windsor and will not resume work until after Easter.
The implosion of online theories about the princess’ health swirled last week after William, 41, withdrew from King Constantine’s service at the last minute due to a “personal matter.”
He returned to work on Thursday, visiting a synagogue in London, before visiting Wales for St David’s Day on Friday.