Queen Camilla to miss Remembrance events as Kate to make poignant return: live

Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that she is to make an appearance at both the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.

Here is a full timeline of Kate’s health journey in 2024 so far:

Queen Camilla, 77, pulled out of an Olympic and Paralympic reception at the Palace and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey earlier this week after developing the seasonal respiratory bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa and spa break in India.

She is said to have dearly wanted to pay tribute in person to the nation’s fallen servicemen and women this weekend. But royal doctors ordered her to have another few days’ rest to get back to full strength.

She plans to return to London early next week if royal doctors give her the go-ahead.

She has a number of diaried engagements, including a Booker Prize event at Clarence House on Tuesday, a Palace reception celebrating the TV and film industry and a night out with the King at the star-studded global premiere of Gladiator II on Wednesday.

Thursday is also the King’s 76th birthday.

Prince Andrew’s “stubbornness” and “arrogance” has added fuel to the fire in his feud with King Charles over his residence Royal Lodge in Windsor, a royal expert claims.

A row sparked between the brothers after King Charles cut the Duke of York’s from an annual £1 million “living allowance”, according to a new biography book by Robert Hartman.

Commenting on the rift, royal commentator Rupert Bell told Times Radio: “One of the problems that Prince Andrew has is that he is occasionally convinced of his rightness, and he gets himself into hot water with his stubbornness and sometimes his own arrogance has caused him to create these problems.

“He feels like he lost everything and if he loses his house, well then he probably feels that even more has been taken away from him.”

The Queen is set to miss a full schedule of Remembrance events this weekend as she continues to recover from a chest infection.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Camilla will not attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, nor the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.

A Palace spokesperson said: “Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events.

“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”

It is understood there is no cause for alarm, and no downturn in her condition.

The Queen is said to be mindful of minimising the risk of passing any last lingering infection to others.

The Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer and the King, who is still having ongoing treatment for cancer, are both attending the Remembrance events.

Senior royals will appear at the Cenotaph tomorrow to honour the nation’s war dead.

King Charles will lay a wreath of poppies on Sunday at the base of the memorial, leading the nation in tribute to its fallen servicemen and women.

Thousands of veterans proudly wearing their medals, military families and the public will gather in remembrance of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

William will also leave a floral tribute – featuring the Prince of Wales’s feathers and a new ribbon in Welsh red – at the historic Portland stone monument.

The King’s wreath pays tribute to that of his grandfather George VI, and his mother Elizabeth II, incorporating the sovereign’s racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold.

Even if Camilla attends the service, her poppy wreath will be placed by an equerry from the Royal Household, as is the custom.

Kate will watch, as is tradition, from above, on the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony overlooking Whitehall, taking part in the solemn two-minute silence and viewing the veterans’ march past.

It was confirmed by Buckingham Palace yesterday that Kate, Princess of Wales, will be joining other royals to attend the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night.

The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is staged annually on the Saturday evening of Remembrance weekend.

It honours sacrifices made by the British and Commonwealth armed forces community and includes musical performances and personal testimonies.

This year’s festival will showcase the contribution of the Second World War generation 80 years on from the D-Day landings, and commemorate 25 years since Nato peacekeeping forces were deployed in Kosovo, and 10 years since the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

Remembrance weekend is always busy for the royal family – and this year is no different.

On Saturday evening, the Princess of Wales will join the the King, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

They will also attend the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph tomorrow morning.

It marks the next significant step in Kate’s gradual return to public royal duties as she prepares to join the Charles and William to honour the nation’s war dead.

However, the Queen’s attendance at Remembrance events will be subject to medical advice nearer the time, the Palace said.

Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.

The Queen has said The Archers actress June Spencer will be “greatly missed” following her death aged 105.

Spencer had played matriarch Peggy Woolley in the BBC Radio 4 show since its first episode in 1951, and was credited as being the longest-serving character in the programme when she announced her retirement in 2022 – at the age of 103.

Her many fans over the years included Camilla, who invited Spencer and her co-stars to Clarence House for a reception marking the show’s 70th anniversary in 2021.

Camilla also made a cameo appearance as herself in a special episode marking the 60th anniversary of the show.

“For over 70 years, June Spencer was a much-loved part of so many people’s lives, brilliantly combining in Peggy Woolley the roles of reassuring matriarch and ‘gangsta granny’,” the Queen said in a statement shared on the official Royal Family social media accounts.

“She will be greatly missed and I send my heartfelt condolences to her family.”

The Prince of Wales is “looking forward” to “playing a role” at the Cop30 UN climate change conference being hosted by Brazil, a royal source has said.

There is speculation William could stage his Earthshot Prize environmental awards in the Brazilian city of Belem on the Amazon delta, which is hosting the global conference in November next year.

A royal source said: “This week, the Prince of Wales visited South Africa to spotlight African innovation and young people, as Earthshot hosted its fourth annual awards in Cape Town.

“Throughout his trip, the prince spoke about the importance of not losing sight of what needs to be done between now and 2030 – the Earthshot decade.

“His commitment to restoring the future of the planet is unwavering and the Prince is determined to do all he can to use his platform to spread urgent optimism.

“Next year, the Climate Cop will take place in Brazil and it’s set to be hugely consequential. The Prince of Wales is looking forward to playing a role there.”