Queen Camilla has faced a rough Nov. 2024 as illness affected her schedule and her husband King Charles III continues to undergo cancer treatment. She has since opened up about a “problem” with his health issues.
In the documentary Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, filmmakers followed Camilla, 77, during her first year as queen. The film aimed to showcase her work fighting domestic abuse.
The ITV documentary showed Camilla visiting The Isle of Man in March 2024, one month after Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. She was there to meet one of the film’s subjects, Diana Parkes.
Parkes’ daughter, Joanna Simpson, was murdered by her estranged husband, Robert Brown, in 2010. She participated in Behind Closed Doors to raise awareness of the abuse that can lead to deaths like Simpson’s.
Parkes asked Camilla, “How is the King?” She responded, “He’s doing really well.” To which Parkes replied, “He looks so… It’s amazing. He looks amazing. I’m so pleased.”
Then Camilla revealed the issue she’s facing amid his health issues. “The problem is, trying to stop him doing so much,” she said. “That is the problem.”
Charles has remained a frequent traveler and maintained his royal duties between cancer treatments. He took an international trip with Camilla in October, stopping in Australia, Samoa, and India. It wasn’t exactly a vacation, though. Charles was heckled by an Australian senator and activist, who shouted “This is not your country!”— in reference to British colonialism.
“You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us — our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king.”
That trip was possibly where Camilla picked up the minor illness that forced her to miss out on Remembrance Day activities.
On Nov. 10, Charles attended Remembrance Sunday commemorations without her. His packed schedule included leading the two-minute silence, laying a wreath, and appearing alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton at the event.
Camilla was there in spirit, though. A wreath with a handwritten tribute was placed at the Cenotaph on her behalf, according to Sky.
That is just a small indication of how busy their lives are. Part of the Royal Family’s job is to be incredibly visible, going to events and speaking to people. Even Harry and Meghan, who are in an intense spat with the monarchy, still appear very busy thanks to their association. They’re basically PR machines, although it certainly doesn’t work on everyone.
If you want to hear about the business from Camilla herself, the documentary can be streamed in the U.K. on ITVX. Executive producer Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt explained to Vanity Fair, “We were given remarkable access to the queen but also to the charities the queen works with. They helped us find people who were willing to talk about their experiences anonymously and sometimes for the very first time.”