Queen Camilla paid a touching tribute to her family as she joined King Charles for his first public engagement since his cancer diagnosis.
The monarch was joined by Camilla at the visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, revealing, as he met patients at the centre, he would be receiving his own treatment hours later. The King, announced on 30 April as the new patron of Cancer Research UK, smiled and waved upon arriving at a Macmillan Cancer Centre. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, he reassured crowds that he was in good health, telling one fellow patient: ‘I’m all right thank you very much, not too bad.’
The Queen was in high spirits during the occasion, dressed in an elegant leopard print dress as she joined the King on the poignant engagement. Yet it was her necklace which drew the attention of some royal watchers, as it was a rare public tribute to her own family.
Camilla opted to wear a pendant engraved with the initials of her grandchildren during the engagement. The treasured piece - which she has worn on a few occasions in the past - is a gold necklace featuring the initials of her grandchildren, born to her two children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. The pendant features the five letters of her grandchildren: ‘L’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘L’ and ‘E’ for Lola, Freddy, Gus, Eliza and Louis. In the centre of the beloved pendant is a ruby, which is the Queen's birthstone.
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During her time as Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla would occasionally offer touching insights into her grandsons’ cordial relationship with their step-grandfather, then Prince Charles. At one stage, she told the Daily Mail: ‘he reads them Harry Potter… And he does all the voices, because he is a brilliant mimic. They sit spellbound.’
Gus and Louis and their sister, Eliza, who was the youngest bridesmaid at the Prince and Princess of Wales (the Prince William and Kate Middleton)’s 2011 Royal Wedding, reportedly joined the Royal Family at Sandringham over Christmas last year, the first since the King’s accession. They were also in attendance at the Coronation.
The King’s doctors are said to be ‘very encouraged’ by Charles’ progress, and he returned to public duty on 30 April
Yesterday was the King’s first official event since doctors advised him to refrain from public engagements while undergoing treatment for the disease. It comes after an encouraging statement about his health from Buckingham Palace. The King’s doctors were said to be ‘very encouraged’ by his progress.
