In spite of the shocking news that he had cancer, King Charles has only taken a brief hiatus from his "public-facing" duties. This is despite the fact that he is still undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Additionally, it has come to light that the 75-year-old monarch has undertaken an outstanding total of 464 public engagements during his first full year in the role of monarch. “His schedule is jam-packed,” an unnamed source told New Idea Magazine.
The “keep calm and carry on” philosophy, on the other hand, was gravely called into question after royal observers saw that the King appeared to be "tired and frail" while speaking with Queen Camilla at the State Opening of Parliament in the United Kingdom on July 17. During the occasion, which lasted for several hours, King Charles appeared to be very exhausted.
“He was looking seriously unwell, unusually red-faced and fragile – everyone’s worried he’s doing too much,” the anonymous insider told the entertainment outlet.
Queen Camilla has stated that King Charles "won't slow down and won't do what he's told" in the midst of his struggle with cancer. However, New Idea Magazine suggested it is possible that this statement is not as one-sided as it seems.
“Everyone is wondering what’s driving the newly crowned King to risk a setback in his recovery by working so hard, but it’s even more baffling as to why the Queen is allowing it to happen. She’s letting him do whatever he wants,” an unnamed source told the entertainment news outlet.
And while it is without a doubt that he was eager to make his mark as King as soon as possible, that does not entirely explain why he continues to push himself now, especially in light of his diagnosis. However, King Charles was the oldest heir apparent in the world until he acceded to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
“There are unconfirmed fears that the King is more sick that we’re being lead to believe. As a result, Camilla’s inclined to let him do what he wants, because she knows how important establishing his legacy as King is to him,” the anonymous insider told the magazine.
It is not a secret that after everything she went through to become Queen, Camilla, who is now 77 years old, is similarly set on "making the most" of her strong position in order to leave her own mark and support the causes that are most important to her.
“To put it bluntly, Camilla loves being Queen. And if she and Charles believe, or indeed know, that they could be running on ‘borrowed time’ as monarchs, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to go all in, in order to make their mark on history,” the informant stated.
However, their schedule for the latter part of this year is incredibly packed, and it includes an official state visit to Australia in October. The King Charles and Queen Camilla will shortly be taking their yearly vacation in August at Balmoral Estate, which is located in Scotland, Vanity Fair reported.
“Hopefully Camilla will realize she must insist the King paces himself more – or she’ll be facing questions, from Prince William and Princess Anne, in particular, as to why the King continues to work so hard,” the tipster said.
Business Times has reached out to King Charles and Queen Camilla for comments.
