- Queen Camilla will step back from royal duties until March 11 after filling in for King Charles.
- The king was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and has withdrawn from public engagements.
Queen Camilla will take a break from royal duties after stepping up official visits since King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
Camilla, 76, has no engagements scheduled in the royal diary this week and will likely not resume her duties until March 11, when she is set stand-in for Charles at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Since Charles' cancer diagnosis was revealed on February 5, the King has withdrawn from public duties while he undergoes treatment, though he is continuing other state duties in private.
Camilla has undertaken 13 official engagements since then.
Last week, she led the royal family at a memorial service for King Constantine of Greece at St George's Chapel. On Wednesday she hosted a reception for the "500 words" children's creative writing competition at Buckingham Palace, and on Thursday welcomed Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, to Clarence House.
A royal source told the Sunday Times that Camilla "has been buoyed by the public's reaction" to her taking the helm in recent weeks, adding: "Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution."
Royal author Ingrid Seward told the British tabloid The Sun that Charles would likely have insisted his wife take some down time after a stressful few weeks.
"He will see that she is exhausted," Seward said. "Camilla has had the ultimate worry about her husband's health, but she has also been the one who has had to step up to the busy schedule of Royal engagements as well as wanting to be there for him and Kate while they each have had their health issues."
Prince William and Princess Anne are reported to undertake royal engagements as normal while Kate, the Princess of Wales, will return to her duties after Easter.
The Palace previously said in January that Kate Middleton had undergone "planned abdominal surgery" and that she would be stepping back from royal duties until around the end of March.
But the Princess hasn't been seen in public for more than two months, leading to a host of conspiracy theories swirling online about where exactly she might be.
A tough few months for the royals
2024 has been a trying year for the royal family so far. Two family members have cancer. One recently died suddenly.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is back in the limelight, and Prince Harry's relationship with his brother remains uncertain.
With the King out of commission for public engagements, pressure has fallen on the other 10 working senior royals to step up their commitments.
Royal commentator Kristen Meinzer previously told Business Insider that the problem with the royal family at the moment is that "it's so slim […] because of other extenuating circumstances," referencing the issues surrounding Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Kate Middleton.
Meinzer noted that Harry and Meghan, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020, could have been a real asset to the king in such situations, thanks to their youth and charisma.
"They had that useful Hollywood energy about them that, frankly, a lot of the senior royals don't have," Meinzer said.