King Charles and Queen Camilla Step Out in Show of Support for Her Queen's Companion's Late Husband

The King and Queen attended a memorial service for the husband of Lady Sarah Keswick, Sir Chippendale 'Chips' Keswick

• King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped out to in London for the memorial service of Sir Chips Keswick on May 30

• The couple paid their respects at the service honoring the late husband of Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen's Companions

• The event fell on the same day the palace confirmed the King will attend Trooping the Colour in June amid his cancer treatment

King Charles and Queen Camilla made a special outing to support a close friend.

On May 30, the King, 75, and Queen, 76, attended a memorial service for Sir Chips Keswick at St Paul's Church in London. He died at age 84 on April 17 and was the husband of Queen Camilla’s Queen’s Companion, Lady Sarah Keswick.

The royal couple arrived together, and King Charles spent time speaking to The Reverend Canon Alan Gyle. Sir Chips was the former chairman of Hambros Bank and Arsenal Football Club, which shared condolences following his death.

"Everyone at the Club is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sir Chips Keswick. Sir Chips' time at Arsenal spanned 15 years in which he served as both a board member and Chairman," the Premier League team wrote on X in April. "May he rest in peace."

Related: King Charles Confirms Trooping the Colour Attendance amid His Cancer Treatment — with a Change from Last Year

His widow, Lady Sarah, was supported at the memorial service by fellow Queen’s Companions including Queen Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot, Jane von Westenholz and Fiona Shelburne. The four women are among the six friends that Queen Camila reportedly tapped as Queen’s Companions following her husband’s accession in September 2022. The Queen’s Companions are a modern spin on the ladies-in-waiting Queen Elizabeth relied on throughout her record reign, and the companion post is more informal with reduced responsibilities.

While ladies-in-waiting traditionally assisted with Queen Elizabeth’s correspondence and administration, the companions were slated to simply support Queen Camilla at official engagements, the BBC reported. Some of Camilla's friendships with the women stretch back decades, as evidenced by a photo of the future Queen with then-Prince Charles and Lady Sarah in 1979 that circulated amid the Queen’s Companion news.

Queen Camilla’s ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, was also photographed at the memorial service on May 30. Camilla and her first husband were married from 1973 to 1995 and share two children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.

Tom, Laura and their families attended the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in May 2023, as did Andrew. Teen grandsons Gus, Louis and Freddy even acted as the Queen’s Pages of Honour.

Related: Kate Middleton Receives Sweet Message amid News She'll Miss Trooping the Colour Review: 'Hugely Proud to Have Her'

The King and Queen stepped out for the memorial service on the same day that the palace announced the monarch will attend Trooping the Colour on June 15 and that the event will take place as usual ahead of the general election on July 4. Though the royals usually leave the public space ahead of elections to keep attention on the key issues on the ballot, it was determined that King Charles' birthday parade should go on as scheduled.

It was confirmed that the King will take the review from his spot in an Ascot Landau carriage beside Queen Camilla, marking a departure from his decision to horseback ride in his birthday parade last year. The update came a month after the sovereign resumed public-facing duties in late April after Buckingham Palace announced in February that he was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment.

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The King continued to undertake state paperwork and host small audiences in the interim period, and his wife the Queen said he was "really thrilled to be out" following his first forward-facing engagement.

Next week, the King and Queen will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings at the U.K.’s national commemorative event with Prince William on June 5, and step out in Normandy, France, on June 6 for an anniversary service at the British Normandy Memorial. The visit is significant as the King’s first trip abroad following the announcement of his cancer diagnosis.

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