Major update over Queen's health as she misses planned engagement
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Queen Camilla will return to public engagements following a temporary break to ensure her recovery from a chest infection. While the news is very encouraging, the Queen will still be forced to miss the Gladiator II premiere that she was due to attend, in order to get back to full health.
It was revealed last week that Camilla would be unable to attend a handful of events, including the two Remembrance events in London, to focus on her recovery. A statement at the time read: "Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events. While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week."
The Queen is attending a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House on Tuesday, but will meet guests for a shorter period than planned.
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Camilla will also still attend a Palace reception with the King on Wednesday to celebrate the TV and film industry, but she is not expected to be present for the entirety of the engagement.
She has also pulled out attending the star-studded Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday evening.
The changes to her diary are understood to have been made to protect and prioritise her continued recovery, with royal doctors keen to prevent any setback from a nasty seasonal illness.
After the news that the Queen would not be able to join the Royal Family for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on Saturday evening, or the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Sunday, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively told OK!: "This is such a shame, as to see all the senior royals back on parade together would have been heartening.
"Chest infections can be quite nasty as you grow older and it’s important that the queen follows her doctor’s advice and rests. But there are other factors at play here as well: she wouldn’t want to risk passing the infection onto Catherine or anybody else."
On the Queen's recuperation, Jennie added: "The Palace haven’t said where Camilla is recovering but it could well be at her home in Ray Mill which would mean she was also keeping a precautionary distance from the King as he resumes his cancer treatment.
"Another factor is that these are very solemn occasions and no one would want to interrupt the proceedings by coughing and wheezing. So I think Camilla would have had an uncomfortable evening and morning at these events, trying to suppress coughs.
"It would have been upsetting for her to miss such an important weekend. As the daughter of a military man, the Remembrance Day commemorations are dear to her heart."
Queen Camilla's father, Major Bruce Shand, had an interesting time during his wartime service. He served with the 12th Lancers during the Second World War, earning the Military Cross twice once in 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk, and again in 1942 for his North Africa campaign. Despite being wounded and captured in the same region, he survived the ordeal, passing away at the age of 89 in June 2006.
