Queen Camilla has spoken for the first time about the difficult period when King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was still private, revealing that she came close to saying something publicly before Buckingham Palace was ready to announce the news.
During a conversation marking the 30th anniversary of U.K. cancer charity Maggie’s, Camilla, 79, recalled visiting one of the organization’s centers shortly after Charles had been diagnosed. At that point, she knew what her husband was facing but was unable to discuss it.
“I remember coming to see a Maggie’s [center] just after the King being diagnosed,” Camilla told Maggie’s chief executive Dame Laura Lee. “Nobody could say anything at the time, that was quite difficult.”
“I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say,” she added.
Camilla was keeping the diagnosis private during a public engagement
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Buckingham Palace announced on Feb. 5, 2024, that Charles, now 77, had been diagnosed with “a form of cancer.” The diagnosis followed treatment for an enlarged prostate the previous month. The specific type of cancer has not been disclosed, and the King has continued receiving treatment.
Camilla’s recollection sheds new light on a public engagement she carried out shortly before the Palace announcement.
In January 2024, she visited Maggie’s Royal Free to officially open its new cancer support center at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Charles had recently undergone surgery, and Camilla was asked during the engagement how he was doing.
At the time, she simply replied: “He’s getting on, doing his best.”
Lee noted during their latest conversation that Camilla’s visit took place only about a week before Charles’ diagnosis became public and suggested that maintaining her composure under those circumstances must have required considerable courage.
Camilla admitted how difficult the secrecy had become.
“I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t,” she said.
Charles’ diagnosis changed how Camilla viewed families facing cancer
Camilla has served as president of Maggie’s since 2008, but she said Charles’ illness gave her a much more personal understanding of what patients and their relatives experience.
“Look at my husband. Nothing stopped him. He just said, ‘This is my way. I’m going to cope with it,’” Camilla said.
The Queen explained that cancer had previously been something she encountered largely through her work with patients and families. Charles’ diagnosis suddenly brought those experiences directly into her own home.
“It made me realize even more how important these places were,” she said during the conversation, filmed at Clarence House.
Camilla described the moment as a profound shift in perspective. After years of speaking with people affected by cancer, she suddenly found herself trying to support her own husband while also attempting to understand what his diagnosis and treatment meant.
That experience also affected the way she interacted with people at Maggie’s shortly before the King’s condition was announced publicly.
Camilla recalled feeling a stronger connection with patients and their relatives and said she found herself wanting to understand more about what they were going through, while remaining careful not to intrude.
“I was almost questioning them. I didn’t want to pry too deeply,” she said. “But normally when I went in, I was just talking to them, but I don’t know, I felt it was much more deep.”
“I looked at everybody who was suffering and all the relations,” she added.
Maggie’s reports increase in male visitors
Lee told Camilla that Maggie’s has recorded a 12% increase in men using its services since Charles publicly disclosed his cancer diagnosis.
Camilla has expressed a desire to see a Maggie’s center established in every city across the U.K.
Since the Palace revealed Charles’ diagnosis, the Queen has occasionally offered updates about her husband’s condition. During a September 2024 visit to the Dyson Cancer Center at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, she said the King was “doing very well.”
A further encouraging update came in December 2025, when Charles announced that his cancer treatment would be reduced during 2026.
Buckingham Palace stopped short of describing the King as being in remission but said his recovery had reached a notably positive stage.
“His Majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment, and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase,” a Palace spokesperson said. “This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery.”
Charles later revealed one effect of his treatment
Five months later, in May, Charles offered a rare personal insight into his treatment during a visit to Guy’s Cancer Centre in London.
While speaking with chemotherapy patient Raymond Burgess, the King heard Burgess describe experiencing an unpleasant taste in his mouth as a result of treatment.
Charles immediately recognized the experience.
“It’s an awful sort of metallic taste. It doesn’t exactly help with eating,” he said.
For Camilla, however, one of the most difficult moments came much earlier — during those first weeks when she was already confronting her husband’s diagnosis privately while continuing her public duties without being able to explain what the Royal Family was facing.