Queen Camilla has admitted that keeping King Charles III's cancer diagnosis as a secret during the early stages of his treatment was "difficult".
The Queen revealed this in a video to mark the 30th anniversary of Maggie's cancer charity, recorded at Clarence House, where she explained how tricky it was to avoid discussing her husband's treatment while on an official engagement with both cancer patients and their families.
Queen Camilla, who is the president of the charity, had previously opened a new Maggie's cancer support centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London in January 2024.
At this point, the Queen had just discovered that her husband was diagnosed with cancer and needed treatment. But she had to keep a lid on this news, as the announcement was not made public at that stage.
"Nobody could say anything at the time, that was quite difficult", the Queen said.
When asked by Maggie's chief executive, Dame Laura Lee about the personal challenges that this brought, the Queen continued: "I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn't".
On 5 February, King Charles' cancer diagnosis was announced to the public domain, just a matter of days after the Queen's engagement at the Royal Free Hospital.
At present, the King is still receiving treatment, but Buckingham Palace have insisted that his health continues to move in a "positive direction".
Elsewhere in the recording, Camilla explained how Charles' way of coping has always been to carry on with official duties regardless. She also spoke about caring for her "poor husband".
"Nothing stopped him. He just said, 'This is my way. I'm going to cope with it,'" she said.
Queen Camilla went on to say that she quickly became aware that what she was experiencing is something that so many families that she has met have been going through.
"I was almost questioning them. I didn't want to pry too deeply. But normally when I went in, I was just talking to them, but I don't know, I felt it was much more deep," the Queen said. "I looked at everybody who was suffering and all the relations and I think it made me realise even more how important these places were".
Despite his own difficulties, the King has continued to engage widely with those treating and supporting cancer patients. He has never fully disclosed the type of cancer that he was diagnosed with.
In light of the King's cancer announcement, Maggie's said in a statement that this led to a 12% increase in men contacting them with a cancer diagnosis.
"The King's openness about his diagnosis has undoubtedly helped others to be more open themselves, and to now hear the Queen's completely understandable and natural response as a wife shines a light on why it is so important that family and friends also get the support they need," Dame Laura stated.
"To hear her speak so powerfully of her own emotions when visiting the Royal Free centre, while knowing about his Majesty's diagnosis, is a huge honour". (All quotes according to the BBC).
