Buckingham Palace in major announcement as Queen withdraws from all engagements this week
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Queen Camilla is unwell with a chest infection and has been forced to cancel her engagements this week. The news comes after an incredibly busy time for the Queen as she and King Charles have recently returned from a successful tour of Australia and Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
As well as this, the details of Camilla's new ITV documentary about her devotion to helping victims of domestic abuse have emerged ahead of the programme's release on 11 November.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest.
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“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. She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
As well as pulling out of a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King, The Duchess of Gloucester has been asked to step in on the Queen's behalf and attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
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The news of the Queen's illness comes ahead of the release of the ITV documentary Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors which charts Camilla's passion for supporting the victims of domestic abuse.
Opening up on her mission in the programme, the Queen soon brings things into focus, explaining: “By scratching the surface, you get a terrible shock. It's a heinous crime. If we could just get more people discussing it, talking about it, people are so shocked by what they hear that, rather like me, they want to say ‘oh, hang on a minute’ perhaps there's something we can do to put an end to it.”
She goes on to add: “One of the most difficult things about domestic abuse, to understand, it’s not the bruises and the black eyes, which, unfortunately you see, through violence, this is something that creeps up very slowly and, far too often, it ends up with women being killed.”
The documentary, which airs ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, brings together a number of campaigners, politicians and celebrities including the likes of former Prime Minister Theresa May, Cherie Blair, Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Patrick Stewart – and they all share the view that Camilla’s work to tackle the subject is a force for good.
As would be expected from such an emotional subject, the documentary is full of heart-wrenching moments – including when we are introduced to 80-year-old Diana Parkes.
Camilla and Diana first met eight years ago and it is clear that the respect is mutual as the Queen says that their initial meeting is “engraved on my heart” and that “if there had been a spark, Diana ignited it”, before adding: “I think she’s so strong, because not many people would be able to survive the death of their daughter. I admire her more than I can say.” Diana, too, shares this affection as she reveals what Camilla tells her whenever they meet, “She always says to me, you are the one who made me want to get involved.”
