Queen Camilla, the wife of Britain’s King Charles III, will be sitting out a number of scheduled events so that she can recover from a recent illness.
In a statement on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said the queen “is currently unwell with a chest infection,” but did not provide further details about her condition.
As a result, “her doctors have advised a short period of rest,” forcing her to pull out of several royal engagements this week, including this year’s opening of the Field of Remembrance at London’s Westminster Abbey on Thursday. Those in attendance typically plant a poppy to honor those who have lost their lives in the armed forces.
Camilla will be represented instead by the Duchess of Gloucester.
The queen “apologizes to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result” of the cancellations, the palace said, “but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal.”
In the meantime, the 74-year-old will be resting at home under medical supervision.
The last time Camilla missed a week of engagements for health reason was in February 2023, when she tested positive for COVID, BBC reported. It was the second time she contracted the virus, having previously had it in February 2022.
News of the queen’s latest medical issues comes a week after she returned to the U.K. from a weeks-long trip with King Charles. They traveled to Australia and Samoa with a stopover in India on the way back.
The king himself is still undergoing treatment for cancer which was diagnosed back in February, though his care was paused during his time abroad. Prior to the trip, his aides told the BBC that his “health is on a positive trajectory.”
Back in March, Kate Middleton revealed her own cancer battle, telling viewers in a personal video the news was a “huge shock” for her and her family. In September, she confirmed she had completed chemotherapy, but noted that her “path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”
