Britain’s Queen Camilla has canceled several planned engagements this week due to a chest infection, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday, November 5.
The 77-year-old Queen has been advised by doctors to rest at home but remains hopeful that she will be able to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events, the Palace said.
“Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest,” read the official Palace statement.
“With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal.”
As a result of her illness, Queen Camilla will miss the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday, where she has regularly represented the royal family in recent years.
In her absence, the Duchess of Gloucester would represent the Queen. This event, held outside Westminster Abbey, invites people to place memorials in honor of service members who have lost their lives.
Queen Camilla will also not attend a reception at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening, which King Charles will host for Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
The Queen and the King recently returned to the United Kingdom after an overseas tour to Australia and Samoa, which included a stopover in India.
Their travels may have contributed to the minor illness, described as “a relatively minor bug,” according to Palace insiders, and there is “no cause for alarm.”
The Queen is expected to recover in time for the weekend’s Remembrance commemorations, which include the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and the national service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Sunday morning.
In addition to her royal duties, Queen Camilla recently contributed to a documentary raising awareness about domestic violence, which is scheduled to be broadcast next week.
Meanwhile, King Charles, who received a cancer diagnosis in February, had his treatment temporarily paused during their overseas tour but is expected to resume treatment now that they have returned to the UK.
