After months of battling cancer, King Charles is eager to return to his royal duties full-time. He’s reportedly like a “caged lion,” according to a royal commentator, wanting to increase his engagements. However, his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, is reportedly “holding him back.” Why is she doing this?
King Charles, alongside Princess Anne and the late Queen Elizabeth, was always busy with royal engagements. His calendar was packed with events that kept him in the public eye. However, since being diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, he has taken a step back from his royal duties for treatment. Recently, he has started to make more public appearances.
In the past couple of weeks, Charles has attended a Buckingham Palace garden party, the handing over of military titles to Prince William, and a royal investiture. This might indicate that the king is feeling better.
GB News spoke to royal commentator Jennie Bond, who claimed that Camilla, Queen Consort, is trying to “hold back the king” even though he has drastically “ramped up” his royal duties. “He wants to get out there; he enjoys it. I mean, he thoroughly seemed to enjoy the investiture,” Bond said.
However, since Charles is still being treated for cancer, Camilla and the royal staff are likely working together to let the king continue his duties but with some adjustments. What changes are they making to ensure he can handle these duties safely and stay happy?
Royal correspondent Jennie Bond discussed the palace’s steps to ensure Charles could safely manage his royal duties. While it seems like Charles is taking on many public engagements, he is not doing as many as it appears.
“They said he’d be carrying out two or three weekly engagements. It’s at least that now,” Bond explained. “Most of them don’t last too long, so they are probably not too tiring. There he was yesterday with William at the ceremony, the handing over, and the garden party, as you say.”
“So yes, he’s being seen in public as much as possible, but there are slight adjustments. For example, there were about 50 people at the investiture instead of the usual 60 or 70.” Bond concluded, “Perhaps it was 10, 15 minutes, maybe half an hour shorter than usual. So the doctors are monitoring it closely and advising him so he doesn’t get too exhausted.”
During the colonel-in-chief handover ceremony on May 13, where he was joined by his son Prince William, King Charles discussed the side effects of his cancer treatment. The Sun reports that the king spoke with a veteran about their shared experience with chemotherapy during a visit to the Army Flying Museum.
King Charles mentioned experiencing a “loss of taste” during his treatment, a side effect also shared by the veteran, Aaron Mapplebeck.
In late April, Charles first talked about his experiences with the disease during a visit to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Center in London. This event was his first public appearance since February after revealing his diagnosis.
While talking with a patient, Charles said he was taken aback when he found out he had the disease. “It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?” he said.
He revealed other details about his health to patients during his visit. He told one woman receiving chemotherapy, “I’ve got to have my treatment this afternoon as well.” He told another patient, “I’m alright, thank you very much, not too bad.”
King Charles continues his treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer. Despite his illness, he is determined to return to his royal duties and serve the public as much as possible, with the support and caution of his family and doctors.
