The Queen spoke to a woman who lost her husband to cancer during a visit to an 18th century mill in Shrewsbury.
Tracey Hanan, 56, showed Camilla a wooden plank used for a pork pie wedding cake when she married her late husband Tony in 2017.
Mrs Hanan was left distraught when the etching on the board with their names began to fade following her husband’s death from prostate cancer in 2021.
But the item was restored to its former glory when she visited the Shrewsbury Repair Cafe – where damaged items are repaired – and was one of the volunteer groups that met the Queen on Wednesday.
Mrs Hanan’s brief conversation with Camilla about the loss of her husband took on particular poignancy due to the recent cancer diagnoses of the King and Princess of Wales.
Queen Camilla meets well-wishers today during a visit to the farmers’ market at The Square, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
The Queen, pictured making a spring wreath during today’s visit, spoke to a woman who lost her husband to cancer during her visit to an 18th century mill in Shrewsbury
The woman’s brief conversation with Camilla about the loss of her husband took on special poignancy due to the King and Princess of Wales’ recent cancer diagnoses. Camilla is pictured with King Charles, Prince William and Princess Catherine ahead of the diplomatic reception in the 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace last December
“She’ll probably find out all about it herself now,” Ms Hanan told reporters.
The queen, she said, had told her that the wooden plank was “beautiful.”
Mrs Hanan said: ‘It was absolutely amazing when it was repaired, I cried my eyes out. I tried to fix it myself, I thought I would make it worse. I was angry that I couldn’t fix it; my husband could have fixed it.”
Her husband was 72 when he lost his life to prostate cancer.
“We had two years of bliss and two years of hell,” Ms. Hanan said. “Then he was gone.”
Camilla was also presented with a gift she said would make her husband the King ‘delighted’ when she met volunteer groups at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings
Bill Stanley, 77, had been waiting since 1958 for a chance to pass on to the royal family a photo he took of Lord Mountbatten when he was just 12 years old.
Mr Stanley, who met the Queen with members of the Royal Volunteering Service, said: ‘When I was 12 I was spending the day with my father and Lord Mountbatten and he said if I wanted a picture of him as I had a camera at hand. my neck.
Queen Camilla smiles and waves as she leaves Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings today
Queen Camilla today meets members of local volunteer groups during a visit to the newly restored Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings
The Queen visited the newly restored heritage site and met volunteers from local groups before unveiling a plaque to mark her visit
“I took a photo and ever since I’ve been waiting for a chance to give it to a member of the royal family.”
When he presented the black-and-white portraits to the queen, he said, she told him, “My husband will be pleased with them.”
Volunteers from the Shrewsbury Interfaith Forum used their meeting with the Queen as an opportunity to pass on their best wishes to her husband, the King, and the Princess of Wales. She thanked them very much.
John Mustafa, the forum’s co-chairman, then presented the Queen with an English copy of the Quran.