Queen Camilla spoke about a stubborn symptom she’s still experiencing one month after Buckingham Palace announced that she had a chest infection.
On Dec. 5, the Queen, 77, spoke about her health at a London reception commemorating the 50th anniversary of the charity Women’s Aid. Queen Camilla has made supporting survivors of domestic and sexual abuse a key priority of her public work, which is the subject of the new ITV documentary Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors released on Nov. 11.
According to the Daily Mail, Queen Camilla was open when guests at the reception asked about her health. “I am still a bit tired. It catches up a bit,” Queen Camilla said.
Women’s Aid ambassador and abuse survivor Alice Liveing said the Queen offered similar info when she asked about how she was doing.
“I asked how she was feeling. She said she was feeling pretty tired but was trying to juggle some bits,” Lieving recounted about the exchange, the Daily Mail reported.
King Charles’ wife still appeared to be in sunny spirits at the Women’s Aid event, held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and coinciding with the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2024. Women’s Aid is a national charity endeavoring to end domestic abuse against women and children, and Queen Camilla met survivors of domestic abuse and charity supporters at the event.
The Queen’s comment about feeling fatigue follows her revelation earlier this week that her recent chest infection was a form of pneumonia. It’s understood that Queen Camilla is recovering well, but continues to experience episodic symptoms of post-viral fatigue from the infection that the palace announced she had in early November.
There has been no change to her diagnosis or treatment following the initial announcement about her chest infection, but the royal is thought to be taking each day as it comes. Post-viral fatigue symptoms can linger for weeks, and the Queen’s extended recuperation is in line with doctors’ advice.
The Queen spoke about the pneumonia at the Buckingham Palace festivities for the incoming state visit from Qatar on Dec. 3, where she scaled back her original commitment to the itinerary in light of her health. It was announced on the eve of the visit that the Queen would skip the traditional welcome at Horse Guards Parade (where she’d have to stand outside in the cold) and reduced her duties at the later state banquet by retiring from the receiving line between pictures and dinner.
The King’s wife has shifted her schedule several times, seemingly on a case-by-case basis, since the palace shared that she was ill with a chest infection on Nov. 5
“Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest,” the statement said. “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. She apologizes to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
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Queen Camilla ultimately opted out of joining the royals at the traditional Remembrance events, honoring British and Commonwealth lives lost in war, on Nov. 9 and 10, and said she was getting better, but had a cough, when she returned to work on Nov. 12.
“I’m obviously getting much better, bit of sort of coughing going on,” the Queen said at the Booker Prize Foundation reception on Nov. 12, according to Rebecca English of the Daily Mail. “I really wanted to come,” she added.
The King’s wife also missed the Gladiator II premiere on Nov. 13 and Royal Variety Performance on Nov. 22, but took on engagements three days in a row this week between the Dec. 3 state visit, Dec. 4 Entente Littéraire Prize Ceremony and Dec. 5 Women’s Aid event.
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