The Queen has given an update about the King’s cancer treatment saying “he’s doing very well”.
Camilla was quizzed about Charles’ progress when she officially opened a new cancer centre at an NHS trust in Bath.
The King is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer and has been receiving care as an outpatient since early February, while the Princess of Wales has been having bouts of chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis.
The Queen toured the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust’s new Dyson Cancer Centre, that centralises most of its cancer services under one roof where up to 300 patients can be treated daily.
While meeting hospital staff and patients in a Macmillan Wellbeing Hub, a calm space in the centre where families and carers receive practical and emotional support, Suzie Moon from the charity mentioned the King’s treatment.
She asked Camilla “Is he OK?” and the Queen replied, “Yes, he’s doing very well.”
After his cancer diagnosis was announced on February 6, the King postponed all public-facing engagement but continued with his duties as head of state behind palace walls, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings.
Charles resumed public events at the end of April when he visited a cancer treatment centre in London and described his “shock” at being diagnosed.
During her visit Camilla chatted to Paul Holdway, 55, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, who was recovering after a stem cell transplant treatment for blood cancer.
He was joined by his wife Nicky Holdway, 55, a nurse, and his parents Sheila and Richard Holdway, and Mr Holdway told the Queen he was tired following the treatment.
Camilla replied lightheartedly, in an apparent reference to her husband’s own cancer treatment, “men, won’t admit it”, Mrs Holdway said afterwards.
The new centre, which includes a research hub, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services and a 22-bed in-patient ward, opened in April after more than £10 million was donated by thousands of people and Government funding provided £40 million.
The Queen gave an impromptu speech, after unveiling a plaque to mark her visit, telling medical staff, senior trust management and supporters: “Can I congratulate all of you on this wonderful centre.
“I’ve had a very brief tour around but everybody I’ve met, whether its patients or families or the nursing staff and the helpers, all seem to be over the moon about it.
“It’s got a very welcoming atmosphere, and you can see that it actually raises people’s spirits in very difficult times.”
