Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Queen Camilla will miss this weekend’s Remembrance Events as she was recovering from a seasonal chest infection.
In a statement released on Friday, the Palace said that the Queen, 77, was “following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery” and would mark the occasion privately at home.
The Palace added, “Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events. While this is a source of great disappointment to the Queen, she hopes to return to public duties early next week.” The Queen will not be present at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening or the Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
Her absence from the events came as she continued to rest following her return to the UK last week after a trip to Australia and Samoa, which included a stopover in India. Despite her withdrawal, it is understood that her condition did not worsened, and the additional rest was a precaution to ensure she fully recovered.
Queen Camilla was said to be “disappointed” about missing the opportunity to pay tribute to the nation’s fallen service personnel but was mindful of “minimising the risk of passing on any lingering infection to elderly veterans in attendance.”
The Queen had already pulled out of other engagements earlier in the week, including the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday, where she was represented by the Duchess of Gloucester. She also missed a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by King Charles III.
King Charles, who was himself undergoing cancer treatment, will lead the Royal Family in the Remembrance events, laying a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of the nation. The King’s treatment was paused during his overseas trip but has resumed following his return to the UK.
Prince William, speaking on Thursday during his visit to South Africa to promote his Earthshot project, described the past year as “the hardest year” of his life. Both his wife, the Princess of Wales, and his father were diagnosed with cancer in recent months. “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” the Prince said. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”
The Princess of Wales, who was undergoing cancer treatment, was set to return to public duties this weekend and will attend the Remembrance events in London.
