Queen Camilla has opened up about the emotional turmoil she experienced while publicly supporting cancer patients just days after learning that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
Camilla had officially opened the Maggie’s Royal Free cancer support centre in London on January 31, 2024. At the time, she was already aware of the devastating news about her husband but was unable to discuss it publicly.
Five days after the engagement, Buckingham Palace announced that the King had been diagnosed with cancer.
Speaking in a new film marking Maggie’s 30th anniversary, Camilla recalled how difficult it was to meet patients and their families while privately dealing with the same fear that had suddenly entered her own family.
‘I almost said something’
Camilla said she found herself viewing the visit differently because of Charles’ diagnosis.
“I remember coming to see a Maggie’s just after The King being diagnosed. Nobody could say anything at the time. That was quite difficult,” she said.
The Queen admitted she nearly revealed what she was going through but ultimately decided that the moment was not about her.
“I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say,” she recalled.
She said watching patients and relatives cope with cancer made her understand the importance of Maggie’s centres on an even deeper level.
“I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t,” she said.
Cancer had suddenly become personal
For years, Camilla had visited Maggie’s centres and spoken with people affected by cancer in her role as the charity’s president.
But Charles’ diagnosis changed the emotional weight of those encounters.
Camilla acknowledged that she found herself asking patients more questions because she could now relate personally to what they were experiencing, although she was careful not to intrude.
“I was almost questioning them,” she said. “I didn’t want to pry too deeply… I was just talking to them, but… I felt it was much more deep.”
She described the experience of realizing that she was no longer simply supporting families affected by cancer but had become part of one herself.
Camilla praises Charles for confronting illness publicly
The Queen also spoke proudly about the way her husband has dealt with his diagnosis.
She said Charles had refused to allow the illness to prevent him from continuing with his life and public duties.
“Look at my husband. Nothing stopped him,” she said, recalling his attitude of: “This is my way, I’m going to cope with it.”
She added that his openness had helped remove some of the stigma and fear surrounding cancer, particularly among men.
Maggie’s has reported a 12 percent increase in men seeking support since the King’s diagnosis became public.
King’s diagnosis followed routine surgery
Charles’ cancer was discovered after he underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate at the London Clinic.
Buckingham Palace has never disclosed the specific type of cancer, but officials have confirmed that it was not prostate cancer and was not directly related to the condition for which he underwent surgery.
The King subsequently underwent an extended course of treatment, details of which have not been publicly disclosed.
Last December, palace officials said he had responded “exceptionally well” to treatment and that his care had entered a “precautionary phase.”
Charles described the development as a “great personal blessing,” while officials stressed that his condition continues to be monitored and reviewed.
Maggie’s becomes even more important to Camilla
Camilla has been president of Maggie’s since 2008 and has made supporting the charity a significant part of her public work.
She has visited 18 of its 27 centres across the UK, with an ambition to eventually visit every location.
The charity provides free psychological, emotional and practical support to people living with cancer, as well as their families and friends.
Camilla has said she wants every major NHS cancer hospital to have access to a Maggie’s centre.
Charity was born from founder’s own cancer experience
Maggie’s was founded by Maggie Keswick Jencks, a writer and landscape designer who experienced advanced breast cancer herself.
After receiving a terminal diagnosis, Keswick Jencks and her architect husband, Charles, were left to process the devastating news in a windowless hospital corridor.
The experience inspired her to create a more welcoming environment where cancer patients and their families could receive support outside the clinical atmosphere of a hospital.
Working with oncologist nurse Dame Laura Lee, who is now Maggie’s chief executive, she developed the concept for a homelike centre.
Keswick Jencks died in July 1995, 18 months after receiving her terminal diagnosis. The first Maggie’s centre opened in Edinburgh the following year.
Camilla praised for continuing engagement
Dame Laura Lee praised Camilla for continuing with her public engagement at the Royal Free despite privately processing the King’s diagnosis.
She said it was an honour to hear the Queen speak candidly about what she had been feeling at the time.
Lee said the King’s decision to speak publicly about his illness had encouraged others to seek support and be more open about their own experiences.
She also emphasized that cancer affects families as well as patients, making emotional and practical support for relatives equally important.
Maggie’s plans major expansion
Maggie’s currently operates 27 centres across the UK and supports hundreds of thousands of people each year.
With cancer cases expected to increase significantly over the coming decades, the charity wants to expand its network to 60 centres, with a location at every major NHS cancer centre.
Although visits to Maggie’s centres are free, the charity is seeking to raise £30 million this year to fund its work.
For Camilla, the cause has become even more personal since the King’s diagnosis, reinforcing her belief that people facing cancer should have somewhere they can find support without having to pretend that everything is fine.
