Queen Camilla has pulled out of parts of a state visit to the U.K. by the Emir of Qatar as she is yet to make a full recovery one month on from a chest infection.
The blow may well leave King Charles III extending his apologies to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as the British monarch conducts the early parts of the welcome without his 77-year-old wife.
He will be joined during those sections by Prince William and Princess Kate, though Kate will in turn skip the state banquet in the evening owing to her own health troubles.
Buckingham Palace originally announced Camilla was to cancel several engagements on November 5 but at the time said she would be back in action after a few days.
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That proved premature as she had to cancel further engagements marking Remembrance Sunday that weekend as well as the London premiere of Gladiator II the following week.
One month on and she is still not fully recovered, as the palace confirmed she continues to have diminished reserves of energy, though she has attended several events in the interim.
Yet as Britain’s royal family rally to welcome a key overseas head of state, the headlines so far have reflected their diminished strength in the face of a succession of health woes.
Charles has himself been receiving treatment for cancer in 2024, though his attendance during the state visit has not been in doubt.
Qatar has been an important country in international diplomacy, serving as a mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza.
And that makes the state visit an important opportunity for Britain to demonstrate its own relevance on the global stage.
However, there may also be protests over human rights, with concerns including the treatment of Qatar’s LGBT community and migrant workers.
Quoted by The Independent, Yasmine Ahmed, U.K. director of Human Rights Watch, said: “Hosting the royal visit without addressing these issues is tantamount to royal-washing Qatar’s troubling rights record.”
The charity’s website reads: “Despite the global scrutiny brought by the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the call for FIFA and Qatari authorities to remedy serious abuses against migrant workers, the tournament ended without compensation, including to families of deceased migrant workers who made the tournament possible.
“Some male guardianship policies and discriminatory laws against women continue. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals continue to face discrimination.”
Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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