QUEEN Camilla has had a rough few weeks having had a chest infection and the sad news that her dog Beth has died.
Legendary royal photographer Arthur Edwards claims the 77-year-old royal will be “upset” by recent events.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, the royal expert said: “The fact is that she missed the Remembrance Day Services, both at the Albert Hall and at the Cenotaph.
“And for her to miss those – obviously the reason was because she’s coughing all the time, she didn’t want to embarrass anybody – that would have been tragic.”
Queen Camilla pulled out of a string of engagements after falling ill with a chest infection, just ten days after she finished her tour of Australia and Samoa with King Charles.
Her Royal Highness returned to work on November 12, 2024 — but with scaled back hours.
However, Arthur said Camilla would have been left heartbroken by the recent death of her rescue Jack Russell Beth, who she got from Battersea Dogs and Cats home.
The Sun’s royal photographer continued: “I remember once seeing her [the dog] on an engagement down in Wiltshire, and the lady that walks them every day came along to see the Queen doing this engagement.
“When she got out of the car and saw the dogs, she went over and played with the dogs, and it made a better picture than the rest of the engagement.
“They were special to her and also to the King. I mean, the King absolutely loves animals.
“She would be upset about that.
“I mean my children have dogs, and when the dog eventually goes because it doesn’t have a long life, there is a lot of sadness in the family.
“And I imagine it’d be the same there for her.
“Queen Camilla, she’s just a country woman, and probably always had dogs all her life.”
Arthur said Camilla now has a “tough job” being the “Queen of our country” and she’s been invaluable stepping in for King Charles with his health struggles this year.
He added: “Her main role is obviously to support the King, and she will be getting on with it now.
“She’ll be back to work now, and she’s back at work now, and she’ll be thinking about what she’s doing, but at the same time, when she gets a moment, I think she’ll be popping down the Battersea and probably find a replacement.”
This week, Queen Camilla was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by the University of London – by her sister-in-law, Princess Anne.
Her Majesty was awarded the honour in recognition of almost two decades championing literacy and literature, including being a patron of charities in the field and setting up an online book club and podcast, The Queen’s Reading Room.
Arthur said Queen Camilla’s achievements are “impressive” and he praised her heart-working nature.
QUEEN Camilla launched her podcast in January and it’s already proving to be a big success.
The podcast, which currently has a five-star rating, is dominating Arts and Books categories.
The much-anticipated audio show follows Camilla’s popular The Queen‘s Reading Room book club, which she launched during the pandemic.
Queen Camilla doesn’t host the podcast itself, but she does feature in each episode.
During the first episode, King Charles’ wife was asked: “Which book did you most enjoy reading to your grandchildren and did you do different voices for the characters?”
Camilla answered: “I think the one I enjoyed reading more than anything else was Harry Potter.
“I can’t mimic voices for love or money, I’m completely hopeless at it.
“I was a really bad actor at school and I’ve never been able to master the art of mimicry, but my husband, he can do all the voices.”
He said: “I think it’s well deserved, personally.
“She just cares so much about it and, and now somebody cares about her enough to give her this honorary doctorate.
“What this woman has achieved in such a short – I mean, they’ve been married 19 years now, I think it’s in April next year, [their] 20th anniversary.
“In that 20 years, she’s gone from zero to I suppose, 80 per cent positive as far as the people are concerned.
They were special to her [Queen Camilla] and also to the King. I mean, the King absolutely loves animals. She would be upset about that.
Arthur Edwards
“She is much loved now but she does work hard, she does care.
“When the King was taken ill early this year, lots of engagement she carried out on her own. “This woman is a powerful person in the life of the royal family.
“I’m so impressed with the way she does it.
“And I mean, she’s 77 now, most people would be retired now, she’s just done this long trip to Australia, and Samoa and she did it with a smile on her face all the way through.”
Queen Camilla’s illness comes in a year that has been particularly challenging for the Royal Family‘s health.
Both King Charles and Princess Kate faced cancer battles in 2024.
While The Princess of Wales has recovered, King Charles continues his treatment, though he has resumed many of his public duties.
