King Charles Gives Update on Queen Camilla's Health Following COVID-19 Diagnosis
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King Charles III says Queen Camilla is recovering from a COVID diagnosis.
The King, 74, briefly commented on his wife's health during his latest royal engagement, visiting Milton Keynes on Thursday to celebrate its new city status. During a walkabout outside Church of Christ the Cornerstone, well-wisher Tazmin Farrington asked the King how Camilla, 75, was doing.
"She's getting better," the sovereign said, according to Hello!.
Charles' outing came three days after Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen Consort tested positive for the viral disease and would be canceling her week's planned public engagements.
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"After suffering the symptoms of a cold, Her Majesty The Queen Consort has tested positive for the Covid virus," the palace said in a statement on Monday. "With regret, she has therefore cancelled all her public engagements for this week and sends her sincere apologies to those who had been due to attend them."
The news came nearly a year to the day Camilla's first COVID diagnosis was announced.
Tolga Akmen - WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
On Feb. 14, 2022, a spokesman at Clarence House said, "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating. We continue to follow government guidelines." The palace added at the time that Camilla was tripled-vaccinated.
The Queen Consort had planned to join her husband in Milton Keynes before her latest COVID diagnosis. There, Charles ignored protestors holding "Not My King" signs when he arrived at Church of Christ the Cornerstone.
Royals correspondent Richard Palmer of the Daily Express tweeted that there were about 20 demonstrators. The effort was organized by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which plans to protest King Charles' coronation on May 6.
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The King appeared to ignore the protestors and seemed to be in good spirits as he shook hands with people who came out to see him, some waving Union Jack flags. As seen in a video shared on Twitter by Heart News East, a chorus of "God Save the King" rang out in a show of support.
Inside the church, King Charles attended a reception to meet local groups dedicated to charity, business, faith, the environment and the arts in Milton Keynes, which is about a two-hour drive north of London. He then moved to the Milton Keynes Food Bank to learn more about the organization's outreach and impact in the area.
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The monarch also gave a short speech, in which he said he was "delighted" to celebrate Milton Keynes' new city status. The classification was awarded during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in May 2022.
"So ladies and gentlemen, as you mark your well-deserved status as one of England's newest cities, I can only offer my heartfelt congratulations and my very best wishes for the future," King Charles said.
