Queen Camilla Takes Time Off From Royal Duties Amid King Charles III’s Cancer Battle

The 76-year-old royal has recently taken on additional responsibility in the wake of her husband's diagnosis.

Queen Camilla is taking a breather amid her increased royal duties. The 76-year-old wife of King Charles III has been taking on more than her fair share of responsibilities in the wake of Charles' cancer diagnosis. 

The Times reports that Camilla has cleared her calendar for the week with plans to spend her downtime with Charles and the rest of her family. 

Camilla is expected to return to royal duties on Monday, March 11, where she will represent Charles at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Camilla will be joined by Charles' son, Prince William, at the service as well as Charles' sister, Princess Anne, and his younger brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie.

Her Majesty has taken on 13 official engagements since Charles' diagnosis was announced last month, including leading the royal family at a memorial service for King Constantine of Greece after Prince William was absent for a "personal matter." 

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"Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution," a royal source told The Times. "She has been buoyed by the public’s reaction. She has found reserves of energy that even she didn’t think she had, and the estimation of her by those inside the palace has soared as she has put her shoulder to the wheel."

As for Charles' reaction to Camilla's work, the source told the U.K. newspaper that the reigning British monarch is very pleased with how his wife is handling her additional duties. 

"Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going while the King is off public duties," the source continued. "The King is proud and pleased to see the show is being kept on the road by the Queen and the wider family."

The 75-year-old king has stepped back from his royal duties amid his health issues. Buckingham Palace announced last month that Charles was diagnosed with cancer following an unrelated procedure for an enlarged prostate. The Palace has not clarified what kind of cancer Charles has or what stage.

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In the wake of his diagnosis, Prince William has taken over many of his official duties. William's wife, Kate Middleton, is also recovering from abdominal surgery, which took place last month at The London Clinic where Charles was also treated. 

Kate was spotted out in public on Monday for the first time since Christmas Day. The Princess of Wales was seen riding in the passenger seat of her mother, Carole Middleton's, car.  An eyewitness told ET that Princess Kate and her mother were spotted in their vehicle around 9 a.m. just outside London.

"The Princess was low-key, looking out the window as her mother paid attention to the road," the eyewitness said. 

The 42-year-old royal was admitted to the London Clinic on Jan. 16 for the treatment of an undisclosed, non-cancerous condition. Before Monday, she was last seen publicly on Dec. 25 when she attended the Christmas morning service with her husband, Prince William, and their three children -- Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte -- at Sandringham Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Many rumors have been swirling about Kate's absence coupled with William's recent decision not to attend his godfather's memorial service. 

Last week, when it was revealed William would be missing his godfather's memorial service, the Palace told ET that Kate continues to be "doing well." But with the speculation only intensifying, the Palace released another statement to ET days later.  

"We gave guidance two days ago that the Princess of Wales continues to be doing well," the statement read. "As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates."

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