King Charles is ‘doing very well’ says Queen Camilla as cancer-battling monarch meets foreign representatives at Buckingham Palace
Queen Camilla has told wellwishers that King Charles ‘is doing very well’, as the cancer-battling monarch met foreign representatives at Buckingham Palace.
She told members of the public in Northern Ireland this morning that the King, who has been receiving treatment for cancer, was ‘disappointed’ not to be able to join her there.
He was instead seen being driven away from Clarence House in central London before holding private audiences with diplomats at Buckingham Palace. He was later seen being driven away from the palace.
Charles has taken a step back from some royal duties, while the Princess of Wales is recovering after abdominal surgery at the London Clinic in January.
But yesterday he received veterans of the Korean War at Buckingham Palace as well as having a meeting with Home Secretary James Cleverly.
King Charles was spotted leaving Buckingham Palace, after earlier being seen exiting Clarence House
Today’s Palace visitors included Mbelwa Kairuki, High Commissioner for Tanzania, and Ng Teck Hean, High Commissioner for Singapore.
Both men officially presented their credentials to the King, signifying their first meetings with him since being appointed to their current roles.
The ‘business as usual’ approach shown by Charles comes after tumultuous weeks for the royal family, with both him and his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales suffering health problems.
It emerged last night that three members of staff at the London Clinic have been suspended amid an investigation into allegations there were attempts to access Kate’s private medical data.
The alleged breach of Kate’s data took place at the clinic after the future Queen was admitted for planned abdominal surgery on January 16, with Kate being discharged 14 days later.
She has rarely been seen in public since then, leading to cruel conspiracy theories on social media about her wellbeing and health.
Data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Officer confirmed it had ‘received a breach report’ and was in the process of ‘assessing the information provided’.
Meanwhile, insiders at the hospital, based in Marylebone, central London, said staff had been ‘left utterly shocked and distraught’ that a ‘trusted colleague’ could have carried out such a ‘breach of trust and ethics’.
The Princess is said to be aware of the allegations, while a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: ‘This is a matter for the London Clinic.’
It is a criminal offence for staff in any NHS or private healthcare setting to access the medical records of a patient without the consent of the medical provider’s data controller.
The London Clinic could not confirm the exact date the alleged breach is said to have taken place but the revelation came a day after footage emerged of Kate out and about in Windsor over the weekend.
King Charles was seen in the back of a car leaving Clarence House this morning
King Charles remained in London rather than join his wife Camilla visiting Northern Ireland
Charles has stepped back from royal duties as he receives treatment for cancer
Queen Camilla, pictured during a visit to Northern Ireland, said Charles was ‘doing very well’
The Queen visited Knotts bakery (pictured) and other businesses in south Belfast
Members of the public watched in central London as the King went past in his car
Photographs were taken as the royal car turned out of Clarence House on to the Mall
Prince William and Kate were seen leaving Windsor together in a car on March 11
Kate was previously seen with her family attending church at Sandringham last Christmas Day
The London Clinic private hospital is pictured yesterday as an investigation into an alleged breach of Kate’s medical data is carried out
Footage today showed crowds of royal fans watching as the King was driven from Clarence House, having been unable to join his wife on a scheduled two-day trip to Northern Ireland.
Camilla has begun a series of engagements in Belfast – where she was today photobombed by smartly-dressed 23-month-old Fitz Corrie-Salmon.
The boy wearing a tuxedo and bow tie posed in front of the cameras as Camilla visited a shop and talked to staff at Knotts bakery in Belfast.
She grinned as she watched him and said: ‘We have a natural for the cameras.
‘There’s something so wonderful about this kind of place.’
Camilla also told how Charles was ‘doing very well’ and was ‘disappointed’ to miss out on the trip to Northern Ireland.
During a visit to The Arcadia deli, shop assistant Brenda Robb handed over a get well card for Charles and extended her best wishes.
Asked several times about the King’s wellbeing, she said: ‘He’s doing very well.’
Responding to quips about men ‘not being the best patients’, she joked: ‘I try to keep him in order.’
She added: ‘He’s very disappointed he can’t come.’
She was today meeting business owners and staff at shops on the bustling Lisburn Road in south Belfast on the second day of her stay in Northern Ireland.
Queen Camilla found herself photobombed by one-year-old Fitz Corrie-Salmon
The youngster posed for the cameras as Camilla visited Knotts bakery in Belfast today
She also met the owner of Coffey’s Butchers during a visit to Lisburn Road in Belfast
And she was given armfuls of local produce for him to enjoy by well-wishers who were keen Charles didn’t entirely miss out.
Her Majesty is in Northern Ireland for a two-day trip, that had been due to be undertaken by the both of them.
After the King was compelled to stay at home, she decided to continue with elements of her own programme for the working trip.
Today, that began with a visit to Lisburn Road to see three family businesses: a butcher, a baker and a delicatessen.
Camilla, 76, was wearing a green wool crepe dress and coat with appliqué detail by one of her favourite designers, Bruce Oldfield, and also sported Queen Elizabeth’s turquoise and diamond three leaf clover brooch.
Her Majesty came away with bags full of local produce, promising she would take them home for her husband – after enjoying a snack herself.
At Coffey’s Butcher, which has been operating on the Lisburn Road since 1929, she met some of the three generations of the family who run it, remarking: ‘My gosh, there are a lot of you.’
Inspecting the meat counter, she said, ‘My goodness me, what a great selection’, and asked: ‘All of these are locally sourced? What do you sell the most of?
The Queen met members of the public this morning after arriving in Northern Ireland last night
Camilla was accompanied by Lord Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle, pictured right
Royal fans such as this man turned out to wait for Queen Camilla’s arrival in Belfast
‘It’s wonderful, it’s all very tempting. It’s lovely to see you thriving.’
She was handed a large bunch of floweres and accepted a bag full of Northern Irish specialities including vegetable rolls, beef sausages and Belfast pickle.
Camilla said: ‘I shall take these back to my husband – he will really make the most of them.’
At the next shop Arcadia, a delicatessen that has been part of the Lisburn Road since 1933, she was also given a selection of their charcuterie, cheese, and local meats including Irish black butter.
Laura Graham-Brown, owner, said the Queen had been particularly interested in the social aspect of the shop, which is seen as a link to the local community..
Ms Graham-Brown said: ‘We had a discussion about the impact of local independent retail in the context of loneliness and social interaction.
‘We know our customers and their families and lives. She was very interested in that.’
In the third and final shop Knotts Bakery, the Queen was told about its traditional Ulster baking methods with no machinery involved in the family business which employs 120 people.
At delicatessen Arcadia, Camilla was given a selection of their charcuterie, cheese and local meats including Irish black butter
The Queen also went to Coffey’s Butchers, which has been on Lisburn Road since 1929
Camilla met wellwishers on her two-day trip to Northern Ireland which had been due to be undertaken by both her and King Charles but his illness means he could not join her
She was given a fruit loaf and iced madeira, with co-owner William Corrie, 38, later saying: ‘She said she’d eat some of them on the way home.
Camilla arrived in Northern Ireland yesterday evening, with a bugler from the Hillsborough Ford Guard playing to mark her arrival at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down, the royal residence in the region.
The Queen was last in Northern Ireland last May when she and the King undertook engagements on their first visit to the region following the coronation.
She is travelling alone this week after Charles stepped back from his public duties while receiving treatment for cancer.