King Charles III is lucky to have Queen Camilla by his side as he fights cancer. A palace insider told PEOPLE on February 8 that Camilla, 76, has been Charles’ “strength and stay” since he received his diagnosis. The source even compared Camilla’s support of Charles, 75, amidst his cancer battle to how Prince Philip was always there for Queen Elizabeth II.
“She will be great,” the insider said about Camilla, who will continue her royal public duties as Charles cuts back his workload to focus on his health. “She will rally him, she will buoy him. She is amazing. She equips him to do the job he has to do,” they added.
Charles’ cancer diagnosis was revealed to the public on February 5, after the monarch had surgery on his enlarged prostate. Buckingham Palace said in a statement that Charles has “commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.”
According to the PEOPLE report, King Charles will continue to receive his daily delivery of official files and process state documents. He’s also expected to stick with his weekly meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, though “appropriate adjustments” may be made by his doctors, who want the king to avoid as much in-person contact as possible.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman told PEOPLE that King Charles is “going to step back from public duties for a considerable time, but there will be plenty of work for him — it just won’t necessarily be in a room with hundreds of people.” The palace insider added, “He will want to get on with the job. But that will depend on what treatment he is having. It may be utterly draining on him. He will need a lot of support.”
Prince William, who is first in line to the throne, will be stepping up in his royal duties as King Charles battles cancer. The Duke of Cambridge broke his silence on his dad’s diagnosis, and also addressed his wife Kate Middleton‘s recent abdominal surgery that has sidelined her from her job until April, at a charity gala on Feb. 7. “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” he said. “It means a great deal to us all.”
Prince Harry has also shown support for his dad following his latest health developments. The Duke of Sussex flew to the United Kingdom after he found out that Charles was diagnosed with cancer. His wife Meghan Markle and their two kids did not make the trip. Harry reportedly only stayed in his home country for one day, and flew back to Los Angeles without seeing his brother William.