Queen Camilla is among those urging King Charles III to “slow down,” amid ongoing fears about his health and concerns the king might exhaust himself by taking on too many public engagements, thus endangering his chances of success in his battle against cancer.
“She has been trying to encourage him to slow down,” said one friend of the queen. “Of course, he wants to keep cracking on, but she is afraid that doing too much could set him back.”
The friend spoke to The Daily Beast after a report in the Daily Mail said that Camilla has resorted to scrawling marginalia into Charles’ daily schedules encouraging him to pace himself.
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According to the paper’s pseudonymous Ephraim Hardcastle column, which is actually written by editors based on newsroom tips and gossip, Camilla has taken to making discreet notes in his briefings including, “Softly, softly catches the monkey” and “Prudens qui patiens.” The Latin saying means, “The prudent man is patient.”
The Mail added that while the king’s doctors have expressed “gratification” at his response to his treatment, some are concerned “about his determination to take on so many external engagements.”
The king has returned to his usual intense work rate since his office announced he would return to public-facing duties on April 30. Last week he hosted a garden party for 7,000 people at Buckingham Palace, and on Monday he visited an army base for an emotional joint engagement with his son, Prince William, and handed over a key military role to him—underlining both Charles and William’s rift with Prince Harry, whose old regiment William is now leading.
The move came a few days after Charles was reportedly too busy to see Harry when the latter was in London—though both sides claim any reported snubs are the other’s fault.
Domestic appointments like these are, of course, relatively easy to manage and “adapt” (to use the palace lingo of the moment) to his needs. For example, when Charles attended the joint engagement with William on Monday, he traveled to and from the army airbase using the royal helicopter (while William came by car) and stayed for only about an hour, while William stayed longer.
King Charles meets with artist Jonathan Yeo next to a portrait of the king, at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain May 14, 2024.
Aaron Chown/Pool via ReutersOn Tuesday, Charles attended an unveiling of his new portrait by artist Jonathan Yeo. It took place at Buckingham Palace, instead of at the National Portrait Gallery where such an event might in normal times have been anticipated to happen.
The monarch’s official birthday celebrations next month, known as Trooping the Colour, will also be reasonably easy to manage given they take place just a stone’s throw from his home, Clarence House. The Daily Beast understands he still hopes to stick to Plan A, and attend on horseback, although he may ultimately be persuaded to use a state carriage for the occasion.
His office, one insider says, is just as busy as usual as his staff try desperately to keep up with their principal’s busy schedule. Says one source, “There is no sign of him easing off the accelerator. If anything, he is even more determined to pack as much in as he can.”
While his wife and some of his friends and staff clearly have concerns about whether the king is getting enough rest to fight his cancer, they also understand that Charles has a deep need to fulfill what he sees as his destiny.
One friend of the family’s told The Daily Beast: “Of course he should slow down but, as anyone who knows him will tell you, he is not going to. He spent 70 years as the first in line to the throne, and he is determined to do the job as best he can for whatever time remains to him. It’s a worry for everyone, because he has made no secret of the fact that he still has cancer and is still getting treated for it, but I think he wants to raise awareness of the reality that cancer is something that a lot of people live with and make the best of.
“Morale is a huge factor when you have cancer, and he is making the best of it in his own way. Being king is what he was born to do.”
Even his most enthusiastic cheerleaders, however, are slightly perturbed by his apparent determination to push ahead with a visit to Australia, followed by a trip to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to take place in mid-October. Buckingham Palace has said planning for this trip continues.
The Palace did not respond to a request for comment on whether the king had been urged to slow down by his wife, but the friend of Camilla’s told The Daily Beast: “I do wonder if Camilla will support him going to Australia. She is not the type to put her foot down, but she might say, ‘Come on now, darling, is this really sensible?’”
