Queen Camilla reportedly cracked a few jokes at King Charles’ expense while on a solo-two-day trip he couldn’t attend due to illness.
The 76-year-old traveled to Northern Ireland and stopped by The Arcadia Deli in Belfast, Thursday, according to Hello Magazine. The Queen was reportedly treated to a selection of their charcuterie, cheese and local meat items, and was spotted interacting with the employees of the popular eatery. Shop assistant Brenda Robb gifted Camilla a get-well card to deliver to the King, and extended her well-wishes as he recovers from cancer treatment, the outlet reported.
“He’s doing very well. He was very disappointed he couldn’t come,” Camilla said, according to Hello Magazine. She then reportedly responded to a quip about men generally “not being the best patients” by saying, “I try to keep him in order.”
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the dedication service for the National Memorial to British Victims of Overseas Terrorism at the National Memorial Arboretum on May 17, 2018 in Alrewas, England. Photo by Paul Ellis – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visit Seppeltsfield Winery on November 10, 2015 in Barossa Valley, Australia. Photo by Daniel Kalisz – Pool/Getty Images
King Charles intended on being part of the trip to Ireland but was forced to postpone his in-person appearances for an undisclosed length of time, due to his cancer diagnosis.
Camilla pushed through with the trip, and maintained some of the original aspects that were planned as part of her own program during the visit, according to Hello Magazine.
The Prince of Wales’s and The Duchess of Cornwall’s Christmas card displays Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as they are seen viewing horses in the parade ring from the Royal Box on the second day of Royal Ascot on June 19, 2013 in London, England. Photo released by Clarence House via Getty Images
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, during a visit to Alloway Main Street and Robert Burns’ Cottage. Photo by Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images
In spite of the jokes made about the King, Camilla reportedly made sure to keep King Charles top of mind through her travels, by packing up some food items to take back to him at the conclusion of her agenda.
Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, depart the Civil Ceremony where they were legally married, at The Guildhall, Windsor on April 9, 2005 in Berkshire, England. Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images
Camilla stopped at Coffey’s Butcher, a family-run business that has been serving their loyal clientele since 1929, and accepted a gift of some of the store’s signature items, Hello Magazine reported. She was reportedly given vegetable rolls, beef sausages and Belfast pickle, as well as other items, and she promised to share them with the King. (RELATED: The London Clinic Launches Investigation Into Possible Snooping Of Kate Middleton’s Hospital Records: REPORT)
“I shall take these back to my husband, he will really make the most of them,” she said, according to Hello Magazine.