Queen Camilla details emotional toll of having to keep King’s cancer a secret

The Queen has opened up on how “difficult” it was to visit a cancer support charity just after learning her husband had been diagnosed with the disease in a new film released today. Describing the emotional visit to open Maggie’s cancer centre at the Royal Free in North London, Camilla said she was “longing” to tell someone that the King had cancer, but knew “it wasn’t the time”.

She visited the centre, which provides free support to cancer patients as well as their family and friends, on January 31, 2024 - five days before Buckingham Palace announced the King had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and would start regular treatment. Reflecting on the King’s shock diagnosis with the organisation’s Chief Executive Dame Laura Lee DBE in a film to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary, the Queen said: “It made me realise even more, just how important these places were.

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“It had never really come back to roost at home and suddenly your husband is diagnosed and you think goodness; I’ve been talking to all these people, now I’m the one with some relation who’s got to help to look after my poor husband and try to understand it all.”

Charles, 77, continues to receive treatment for the disease but after pausing public-facing duties for just under three months after his initial diagnosis over two and a half years ago, he has continued to throw himself into work. The monarch has undertaken particularly gruelling tours to Australia, Canada and the US, alongside his regular duties and engagements in the UK.

Last December, the King shared “good news” about his cancer, saying in a personal message that the regularity of his treatment could now be significantly reduced - though he is not described as being in remission or “cured”. At the time, Buckingham Palace said the King’s recovery had reached a very positive stage and he has "responded exceptionally well to treatment", guidance that remains unchanged.

Sitting in ornate arm chairs inside Clarence House, the Queen reflected on her emotional visit to a cancer centre having just learned of her husband’s diagnosis.

“I remember coming to see a Maggie’s just after The King had been diagnosed,” she said. “Nobody could say anything at the time. That was quite difficult. I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say. [I] looked at everybody who was suffering and all the relations and I think it made me realise even more how important these places were.”

Replying, Dame Laura said: “It was just a week before it became public, and the courage that that must have taken for you to make that visit.”

“I was just longing to let it out but obviously I couldn’t,” the Queen said. Camilla, who wore a navy midi dress with a white v-neck trim, admitted that her husband’s very recent diagnosis weighed heavy in her mind during the visit and it impacted how she interacted with visitors of the cancer centre.

“I was almost questioning them,” she said while moving her hands animatedly. “I didn’t want to pry too deeply. Normally when I went in I was just talking to them, but I felt it much more deeply.”

The seven-minute film was made by Buckingham Palace in conjunction with Maggie’s to celebrate the impact the charity has had on cancer patients and their loved ones.

Since the first Maggie’s centre opened in 1996 in the grounds of the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Maggie’s has redefined what cancer care should be, offering free psychological, emotional and practical support for people with cancer as well as their family and friends. This includes financial advice, guidance on how to tell children about a diagnosis and help getting back to normal after treatment has concluded.

As well as the conversation with the Queen, who has been the charity’s president since 2008, the film features conversations with users who describe Maggie’s as a lifeline, and an excerpt from Her Majesty’s visit to the centre in Cheltenham in January 2026 where she gave a speech to mark 30 years of Maggie’s.

Discussing the King’s decision to share his diagnosis with the public and carry on with his work, Maggie’s Chief Executive Dame Laura Lee said it has encouraged more men to use their services, telling her that they had a 12% increase in men coming in.

The Queen replied: “Look at my husband, nothing stopped him. He just said this is my way I am going to cope with it.”

Dame Laura said: “The more open that you are about when you are talking about it, the less scary cancer can become. If you just keep the lid on it, it can build up.”

There are currently 27 Maggie’s centres across the UK, with the Queen having visited 18 of them, and three additional sites are planned in Coventry, Kent and Bristol. In 2025, Maggie’s supported 338,928 visits and in total, the charity has supported 1 in 7 new cancer diagnoses across England, Scotland and Wales.

With the number of people with cancer set to rise rapidly over the next 30 years, Maggie’s aims to support millions more visits to centres from people with cancer and people who love them by having 60 Maggie’s centres across the UK – one at every major NHS cancer centre.

The charity aims to raise £30million in its 30th year to help it support more people to live well with and beyond cancer as well as family and friends impacted by cancer.

The full film collaboration between Maggie’s and Buckingham Palace is available to view on YouTube from today.