Queen Camilla Admits She “Almost” Slipped and Revealed King Charles’s Cancer Diagnosis Before the Palace
In a new video, The Queen shared what it felt like to keep her husband's health battle a secret.
Queen Camilla has served as president of Maggie’s cancer centers since 2008, and on August 18, The Queen appeared in a deeply personal video to mark the 30th anniversary of the organization. Speaking to Maggie’s chief executive Dame Laura Lee, Camilla admitted that she struggled with keeping the news of King Charles’s own cancer diagnosis a secret when attending an event for the charity in 2024.
Maggie’s centers are located at NHS hospitals and support cancer patients and their families with everything from mental health counseling to financial advising, all free of charge. Queen Camilla recalls visiting one center in early 2024, just a week before the public became aware of The King’s cancer diagnosis.
“Nobody could say anything at the time, that was quite difficult,” Camilla shared, admitting that while speaking with patients and her families, she almost slipped. “I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say.”
Queen Camilla opens Maggie's Royal Free at the Royal Free Hospital in London on January 31, 2024, with her visit taking place just days before The King's cancer diagnosis was revealed.
“I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t,” Queen Camilla continued.
Lee praised The Queen for her “courage” in attending the event during what was a difficult time for the Royal Family, and also shared the direct impact The King has had on their charity. She shared that Maggie’s has seen more people—notably “a 12 percent increase in men” coming to their centers “because of The King being so open about his diagnosis and having a productive life.”
“Look at my husband. Nothing stopped him. He just said, ‘This is my way. I’m going to cope with it,’” she said.
The Queen and Dame Laura Lee tour the new Maggie's Free center in January 2024.
The King and Queen attend the 2026 Sandringham Flower Show.
She shared that walking through her husband’s illness with him gave her a new perspective when meeting families at Maggie’s. “Now I’m the one whose relation...whose got to help to look after my poor husband and try and understand it all,” she said.
While King Charles's cancer is not in remission like Princess Kate's, Buckingham Palace announced in December 2025 that his treatments would be “reduced” this year.
“His Majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment, and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase,” a palace spokesperson said. “This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery.”
