Queen Camilla supported two causes close to her heart on Wednesday, January 21, visiting Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Services and Maggie's, a cancer charity she's served as president for nearly 20 years. In a speech to honor the 30th anniversary of Maggie's, The Queen admitted that she was initially unsure what to expect when she arrived at one of the organization's centers two decades ago.
Maggie's provides free emotional, social and practical support for cancer patients and their families, operating centers across the U.K. and online. The first Maggie's center opened in 1996, and today there are nearly 30 in England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as four international locations.
"My first visit to a center was in June 2008, in Edinburgh," Queen Camilla said in her speech at a Maggie's center in Cheltenham, England. "I remember being slightly nervous as we approached the Western General Hospital, anticipating a rather formal, clinical atmosphere."
However, The Queen found herself "surprised and delighted" by what she found in Edinburgh, calling the center a "peaceful place, with inspiring people full of stories about the difference that Maggie’s had made to them and to their families."
Queen Camilla—who was joined by former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner during the event—noted that Dame Laura Lee asked her to become president of Maggie's not long after her first visit in 2008. She said that she "accepted with alacrity," calling it "one of the easiest decisions I have ever made."
Cancer has impacted Queen Camilla directly in the past two years, after both King Charles and Princess Kate were diagnosed with forms of the disease. The Queen said that the resources Maggie's provides give patients a safe space "where they can receive expert support, sympathy and a cup of tea – and where laughter can come as naturally as tears, because sometimes that’s what’s wanted."
"Now 18 years and 27 centers on, I cannot help but look around and reflect how proud Maggie would be to see her incredible legacy," The Queen added, speaking of the charity's late founder, Maggie Keswick Jencks.
Along with her visit to Maggie's in Cheltenham, Queen Camilla also met with staff volunteers and clients of Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service, an organization that works with abuse victims and their families in the county.
The Queen, who is passionate about raising awareness of domestic violence, also privately met with a client who previously accessed support through the organization and now works for the service to help others.
