Queen Camilla Steps out During Royal Trip to Northern Ireland Amid King Charles III Cancer Battle
Queen Camilla is continuing to step up amid her husband King Charles III’s ongoing cancer battle.
Camilla, 76, traveled to Northern Ireland for a two-day trip full of royal engagements beginning on Wednesday, March 20. For her first day in the Emerald Isle, she greeted staff during a visit to Hillsborough Castle in Belfast while sporting a navy blue coat and a blue jeweled brooch.
She sported the same look while greeting fans in the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea, that same day. Camilla greeted onlookers with a smile and posed for photos with Lieutenant Governor Isle of Man, Sir John Lorimer. During a visit to the Douglas Borough Council, Camilla gave a speech on behalf of Charles, 75.
For her second day in Northern Ireland on Thursday, March 21, Camilla channeled the country’s signature color by wearing a long green coat with leaf detailing. In addition to black shoes and tights, she paid homage to Ireland with a shamrock brooch.
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Among her many Thursday stops, Camilla stopped at shops along Lisburn Road in Belfast with Lord-Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle, in addition to greeting more members of the public.
According to the BBC, Camilla thanked fans for giving her a get-well card for Charles, stating, “He was very disappointed he couldn’t come.” She also noted that Charles is "doing very well" in a social media clip from her visit. The trip, her 22nd visit to Northern Ireland, marked the first time Camilla visited the country without Charles. The couple previously visited not long after Charles’ May 2023 coronation.
Before Charles resumed royal engagements earlier this month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that he encouraged Camilla to take a pause on covering his missed events. “Charles saw that Camilla was working too hard while also worrying and trying to care for Charles,” the insider shared on March 4, the same week Camilla took a step back from royal events.
The source continued: “They both decided she should take a week off so she isn’t burning the candle at both ends.”
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Buckingham Palace announced in January that Charles would undergo a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate. The palace later confirmed that he was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer with royal author Omid Scobie reporting that it was not prostate cancer.
During his March 11 Commonwealth Day address, Charles thanked fans for their support amid his cancer journey, stating, “[I will] continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.”
That same day, Camilla made two solo appearances in celebration of Commonwealth Day, the first at a church service with Prince William. She followed up the outing by stepping out at Marlborough House in London for the Annual Commonwealth Day Reception. She kept things classy in a black, long-sleeved dress with white detailing, which she paired with black tights, heels and a clutch and gold jewelry.
Just like Camilla, William, 41, has taken on more royal duties as Princess Kate Middleton continues to recover from a January abdominal surgery. Her absence from the public eye has spawned several online theories about her whereabouts, though the palace has clarified she will resume engagements in the spring. Kate, 42, has also made headlines for admitting to altering a Mother’s Day photo of herself and her kids.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote via X after photo agencies pulled the picture and marked it as altered. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
