Queen Camilla reveals struggle to keep King Charles cancer diagnosis secret before February 2024 announcement
Queen Camilla revealed on Wednesday that she struggled to keep King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis a secret before it was publicly announced in February 2024.
In a seven-minute video published by the British royal family and the cancer support charity Maggie’s, Camilla described the difficulty of maintaining silence during a visit to a Maggie’s center at London’s Royal Free Hospital on Jan. 31, 2024. The king had already been diagnosed, but Buckingham Palace did not disclose the news until Feb. 5, 2024.
“I remember coming to visit a Maggie’s center immediately after the king was diagnosed. Nobody could say anything at that moment. It was quite difficult,” Camilla told Dame Laura Lee, the charity’s chief executive, in the filmed conversation at Clarence House. “I almost said something, but I felt it wasn’t the right time. I just longed to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t.”
The queen, who serves as president of Maggie’s, said the experience deepened her understanding of the charity’s work supporting cancer patients and their families. “I looked at all those who were suffering and all the people around them, and I think that made me realize even more how important these places are,” she said.
Charles, 77, was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate when the cancer diagnosis was confirmed. The palace has never specified the type of cancer. In December 2024, the king said his health had improved and that his therapy could be scaled back.
The video was released to mark Maggie’s 30th anniversary. The charity, founded by Maggie Keswick Jencks, provides emotional and psychological support in architecturally designed centers, some created by renowned architects like Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. Camilla praised the organization’s approach, noting that Keswick Jencks, who died of cancer in 1995, understood the need for beautiful, comforting spaces for patients.
Camilla also reflected on Charles’ reaction to his diagnosis, saying he was determined to continue his duties. “Nothing could stop him. He just said, ‘This is my way, I will deal with it,’” she recalled.
The disclosure of Charles’ diagnosis came a month before Princess Kate, the wife of heir to the throne Prince William, announced her own cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Kate later said in January 2025 that she had temporarily overcome the disease.
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