Queen to return to public duties after chest infection – but will miss film premiere

The Queen will return to public duties today after her chest infection but will miss the Gladiator II premiere on Wednesday to aid her recovery, a royal source has said.

The 77-year-old was forced to withdraw from her duties last week and missed the weekend’s Remembrance Day commemoration events.

Queen Camilla will attend a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House on Tuesday, but will meet guests for a shorter period than planned.

She will also still attend a Palace reception with the King on Wednesday to celebrate the TV and film industry, but she is not expected to be present for the entirety of the engagement.

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.”