It has been less than a month since King Charles returned to public facing royal duties on April 30, and, with a huge late spring and early summer calendar looming—Trooping the Colour! Royal Ascot! Garden parties! Japan's state visit to the U.K.! An overseas visit to France!—Queen Camilla is, understandably, growing a bit concerned about how hard the King is working as he continues to be treated for cancer.
Following a routine prostate procedure on January 26, His Majesty announced on February 5 that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer that, heretofore, has still not been disclosed to the public. He began treatment for cancer that same day, and, nearly three months later, returned to public facing engagements with Camilla by his side on April 30. Charles, a known workaholic, has left Camilla fearing her husband is “doing too much,” a source said, per The Mirror, but that even though Camilla is afraid he’s bitten off more than he can chew, it’s unlikely the King will slow down anytime soon.
The Daily Beast reports that Camilla is concerned, and has encouraged her husband to pace himself as he gets back into public duties. “She has been trying to encourage him to slow down,” a source told the outlet. “Of course, he wants to keep cracking on, but she is afraid that doing too much could set him back.”
Other sources speaking to the publication said that, despite Camilla’s concern, Charles isn’t likely to heed it, intent to make as much of an impact as possible during his reign. (Hey, it’s difficult to blame someone who waited 73 years to start a gig—likely the longest apprenticeship of all time—to want to, you know, do the work once it was his turn.) “There is no sign of him easing off the accelerator,” they said. “If anything, he is even more determined to pack as much in as he can.”
Another source told The Daily Beast “Of course he should slow down but, as anyone who knows him will tell you, he is not going to,” they said. “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.” They added “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.”
Charles’ work ethic has long been known; the King never takes lunch and often works late into the night, long past midnight. As for Camilla, her concern about her husband isn’t something she keeps within the walls of Clarence House, the London home she shares with the King. On a recent royal visit to Sussex, the Queen noted that Charles is “getting better,” but added, jokingly, “Well, he would be [getting better] if he behaved himself.”
