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HEALTH SCARE

Queen Camilla reveals what illness forced her to miss string of royal engagements with ‘extreme tiredness’

Doctors have urged the Queen to take more time to recover

QUEEN Camilla has revealed the illness which forced her to miss a string of royal engagements due to "extreme tiredness".

The Queen has told guests at today's Qatar state visit that her chest infection was a form of pneumonia.

Queen Camilla at the Qatar state visit today
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Queen Camilla at the Qatar state visit todayCredit: AFP
Queen Camilla seen in her car today
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Queen Camilla seen in her car todayCredit: AP
Queen Camilla with her husband King Charles
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Queen Camilla with her husband King CharlesCredit: Getty
Camilla with Princess Kate on Remembrance Sunday in 2022
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Camilla with Princess Kate on Remembrance Sunday in 2022Credit: Getty
The Queen, 77, pulled out of engagements
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The Queen, 77, pulled out of engagementsCredit: AFP

Camilla is suffering from post-viral fatigue and is missing the outdoor elements of the Qatari royal visit.

It is understood Camilla's condition was viral, not bacterial, and she no longer has pneumonia.

But doctors have urged the Queen to take more time to recover from her fatigue.

A royal source said: "Some days the Queen is on really good form. It's just one of those things.

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"She has lost the coughing but the lingering side of it is bouts of extreme tiredness.

"There has to be a degree of flex in the Queen's diary at the moment."

The Queen missed the outdoor ceremonial welcome on a chilly Horse Guards Parade today.

Instead, she arrived at Buckingham Palace shortly beforehand, giving a smile as she stepped from her car at the Grand Entrance.

Camilla, 77, waited for the Emir of Qatar and his wife inside, in the warm surroundings of the Grand Hall.

She contracted her chest infection after a long haul trip to Australia and Samoa.

She has pulled out a series of engagements since then, including the the Royal Variety Performance, the Gladiator II premiere.

And Camilla was forced to miss the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph.

It is understood the Queen was not taken to hospital with pneumonia, but is now facing bouts of extreme tiredness.

ROYAL HEALTH SCARES

The health scare comes after both Charles and Princess of Wales have this year been treated for cancer.

It was confirmed on February 5 that King Charles has cancer after the disease was found during a prostate procedure.

The King was expected to be discharged after two nights but concern was sparked when this stay was extended.

He was eventually discharged from hospital on January 29, 2024.

The King spent around three months away from public-facing duties and returned in April with a visit to a cancer centre in London.

He had a high profile run of engagements through the next few months including D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy.

Other such events included Trooping the Colour, the incoming Japanese state visit, a short trip to Jersey and Guernsey, and the appointment of a new Prime Minister.

It is not currently known what type of cancer the King has.

Meanwhile Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis in March following major abdominal surgery in January.

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A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed she started a course of preventative chemotherapy in late February.

The Duchess of Cambridge revealed she had finished chemotherapy in a family clip on September 9.

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