EMOTIONAL

Queen Fears for Charles After His ‘I Hope to Survive’ Remark

Camilla had an “emotional reaction” after the king alluded to his cancer on tour in Samoa.

Friends of Queen Camilla have told the Daily Beast that she is “terrified” and “fearful” cancer-hit King Charles’ is “rushing” his recovery after palace aides briefed newspapers this weekend that his office had told the British Government he was again available for long haul travel.

Aides raced to declare his recent trip to Australia and Samoa a great success, despite the fact that any medium-term impact on his health self-evidently has yet to be established.

There have also been question marks around how the queen has coped mentally with the trip. She spent a week before it at a private and exclusive Ayurvedic retreat in India, yet seemed rather unsettled during the trip.

On the final day of the tour, she had what one friend called an “emotional reaction,” seemingly cycling between giggles and tears, after Charles made, in a rather off-hand fashion, a telling remark at a farewell ceremony in Samoa, telling dignitaries: “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back again and see you.”

Friends of the king have brushed off any suggestion that the king was, in fact, saying a final farewell or suggesting he might die soon, despite the fact that, prima facie, that seemed to be exactly what he was saying.

But a friend of Camila’s told the Daily Beast: “It was a strange thing to say, and I think Camilla had an emotional reaction. Of course it would. She is terrified. They have had a horrendous year. Now with this return to work, she is understandably fearful her husband is rushing it. She just wants him to slow down and prioritize his health.”

British media have generally portrayed the incident as a fit of giggles due to a non-operational microphone, but this characterization has been questioned online.

Adding to the sense of uneven messaging is a new report saying that King Charles’ doctors are also concerned by palace briefings that the 76-year-old monarch, who has cancer and is undergoing weekly treatment sessions, is to return to a full and grueling schedule of international travel while he is still being treated for the disease, a new report claims.

The Daily Mail’s pseudonymous Ephraim Hardcastle column, which is actually written by editors on the basis of newsroom tips, published an item Tuesday saying that there was “concern among the king’s medical team” that they hadn’t had a chance to asses the king before palace sources briefed Sunday newspapers that the king would be undertaking a “full program” of overseas commitments next year.

The London Sunday Times reported that Buckingham Palace was liaising with the British government on which tours Charles and Queen Camilla will undertake next year, with a source saying: “It’s great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very determined to do so. We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking, full overseas tour program for next year, which is a high for us to end [this trip] on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms.”

The king “paused” his cancer treatment during the tour and, while he seemed in amazingly good spirits for the duration of it, some photographs clearly showed him suffering with what looked like sore and chafed lips and swollen and puffy hands, which are known side effects of some forms of cancer treatment.

The king has ducked out of attending the COP environmental summit in Azerbaijan next week as he recovers from the tour, much to the relief of his wife, as the Daily Beast previously reported.

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However sources told the Mail it was planned that doctors would carry out a full assessment of his wellbeing, with the suggestion being that officials who are now proclaiming he will be back to zipping around the world on royal business next year have jumped the gun.

Tom Parker Bowles, King Charles’ stepson, spoke about his concerns for Charles’ health, telling People how the monarch’s cancer diagnosis has been “very worrying,” saying: “It’s a terrifying disease, and when someone close to you gets it in whatever capacity, it’s a very worrying thing. But my mother is strong as well. She supports him in every way. I think it’s wonderful to have someone you love by your side.”

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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