Queen Camilla returns to public duties after illness - but will miss film premiere

The Queen has said she is "getting much better" as she returned to public duties following a chest infection, but she will still miss an upcoming film premiere.

Queen Camilla attended the Booker Prize reception in her first event after recently falling ill.

The 77-year-old congratulated the shortlisted authors at Clarence House on Tuesday afternoon after she was forced to withdraw from her duties last week and miss the weekend's Remembrance Day commemoration events.

While the Queen will also attend a palace reception on Wednesday, she will miss the Gladiator II premiere on the same day to aid her recovery, a royal source has said.

At the event on Tuesday, the Queen was greeted by chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, and chair of the 2024 judges, Edmund de Waal.

As she shook their hands, she told Ms Wood: "I'm obviously getting much better. A bit of sort of coughing going on.

"I really wanted to come."

The Queen went on to speak with the six shortlisted authors, and told Percival Everett: "I think I'm on the mend, but these things always take a bit of time to get rid of.

"You think you've got rid of it, then they just sort of hang on for a little bit, but hopefully I'm on the mend now."

The changes to her diary are understood to have been made to protect and prioritise her continued recovery, with royal doctors keen to prevent any setback from a seasonal illness.

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It comes after Prince William said 2024 has been "brutal" and "probably the hardest year in my life", due to his wife and father's cancer diagnoses.

Speaking on a tour of Cape Town this week, he said: "Honestly? It's been dreadful.

"It's probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult."

Discussing how his relatives have coped with their health struggles, he added: "I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done.

"But from a personal family point of view, it's been, yeah, it's been brutal."