Camilla Parker Bowles ‘Exhausted’ and ‘Vulnerable’ as Palace Struggles After King Charles’ Cancer Battle
In the months after King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, his wife Camilla Parker Bowles immediately upped her public profile in his absence. However, in the past month, the queen consort found herself dealing with her own health concerns. This made close friends worry, reportedly calling Camilla “exhausted” and “vulnerable” in the wake of a difficult 2024.
Camilla Parker Bowles stepped up for King Charles, but friends question the cost
According to The Daily Beast, those close to Camilla Parker Bowles, 77, worry for her health. After King Charles revealed he had cancer on Feb. 5, 2024, Camilla immediately stepped in for the king as he recovered from surgery and began treatment.
During this time, Kate Middleton was also diagnosed with the disease, leaving the royal family to carry on without two of its most visible senior royals. As Prince William took some time to tend to his wife, Camilla carried the burden of most royal engagements.
In November, Camilla was diagnosed with pneumonia and forced to cancel several official engagements. Doctors have told her to rest even after her infection cleared.
“Prince William said that his year had been ‘brutal’ and the ‘hardest’ of his life,” said a friend of the queen consort, per Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast. “I would humbly suggest that Camilla has had a brutal year too. To get pneumonia at her age is no small thing. She was run down and vulnerable and she needs to be cared for as well.”
A palace source told the outlet, “(The queen) has chosen to clarify… that the specific viral chest infection she had was a form of pneumonia. She has recovered well but continues to experience episodic symptoms of post-viral fatigue.”
Friends say Camilla was tasked with too much while dealing with Charles’ cancer diagnosis
During King Charles’ cancer battle, Camilla Parker Bowles supported her husband behind the scenes and in public. She stepped up to handle Charles’ engagements while ensuring his treatment and recovery continued.
However, this was a challenging time for the king and queen consort. During Charles’s health challenges, Camilla was reportedly tasked with too much, say friends.
The Daily Beast quoted a friend of the family who said, “At 77, to be shipped off to the other side of the world to shake hands with thousands of people when your husband has cancer is, quite frankly, too much to ask. Camilla would never complain, and of course, she wanted to support her husband, but she never should have been put in that situation.”
“She got pneumonia as a result. I hope this makes the mandarins sit up and take notice.”
Will Camilla Parker Bowles attend the royal family’s Christmas events?
As Camilla Parker Bowles continues her recovery from pneumonia, her schedule will remain flexible depending on how she’s feeling. This could mean Camilla may be selective in the royal events she attends around Christmastime.
Thus far, it has not been revealed if Camilla or King Charles will attend Kate Middleton’s Together at Christmas show at Westminster Abbey, set to take place on Dec. 6. The couple attended the event in 2022 but not in 2023.
This year’s service will reflect upon the importance of love and empathy. It will focus on individuals throughout the United Kingdom who have shown these attributes to others in their communities.
Camilla is expected to partake in Christmas at Sandringham. The royal family gathers at the estate to celebrate the holiday annually.
