Queen Camilla reveals King Charles was ‘thrilled’ to return to royal duties and jokes she’s been ‘trying to hold him back’ during cancer treatment

Queen Camilla revealed King Charles was ‘thrilled’ to return to royal duties this week and joked that she had been ‘trying to hold him back’ during his cancer treatment.

The Queen, 76, spoke about the monarch’s dedication to his work’ during her reception at Buckingham Palace to relaunch the Wash Bags Project today. 

The monarch, 75, returned to public duties yesterday after doctors said they were pleased with his progress following his cancer diagnosis in February.

On Tuesday, Charles, who has been a patron of Macmillan Cancer Support for over 20 years, made a trip to a London treatment centre.

Speaking to Teresa Tideman, chairman of In Kind Direct, the Queen said today: ‘I think he was really thrilled to be out.’ 

Giving insight into how Charles has been feeling the past few months, Camilla added: ‘I’ve been trying to hold him back.’ 

In response, Ms Tidman joked: ‘Good luck with that.’

The King – who is still undergoing cancer treatment – was accompanied by the Queen, who is president of cancer support charity Maggie’s, and the pair were presented with posies after meeting with staff and patients in the cancer centre.

Charles’ engagement came after doctors gave him the all-clear to restart public events will raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis.

The monarch also hopes the trip can highlight some of the innovative research supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital.

Today, Camilla welcomed 300 guests at Buckingham Palace to recognise people who support victims of sexual assault.

Camilla, 76, also delivered a hard-hitting speech to attendees including Cherie Blair, Carrie Johnson and Theresa May in which she thanked them for ‘standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes’.

The reception was also held to relaunch her Wash Bag Project, which provides a wash bag of toiletries, donated by Boots and distributed by In Kind Direct, to people who have been affected by rape and sexual abuse.

Highlighting organisations supporting victims of rape and sexual assault has been a cause close to the Queen’s heart for more than a decade.

This Wash Bags Scheme was inspired by the Queen when she was Duchess of Cornwall in 2013 after hearing shock tales of rape and sexual abuse from survivors during visits to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs).

Camilla arrived in the White Drawing Room and met guests including Carrie Johnson, Love Island star and documentary maker Zara McDermott and health secretary Victoria Atkins.

Speaking to Carrie, Camilla appeared to say: ‘Very nice to see you again, I haven’t seen you for a long while. Not since you had number three.’

To much laughter, Boris’s wife replied: ‘I know. Chaos, chaos.’

The Wash Bag Project has now teamed up with In Kind Direct, a charity founded by the King in 1996, to distribute the kits.

Among the 300 guests were charities, police forces, health services and heroes from centres the Queen has seen front-line work such as Rape Crisis South London, The Women’s Centre Cornwall, The Havens, Croydon RASASC, and the Mirabel Centre in Nigeria.

The bags – containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth – are given to victims after they have been forensically examined.

The Queen also met broadcaster Emma Barnett, Theresa May and Cherie Blair.

Zara McDermott, who fronted a BBC documentary Uncovering Rape Culture and has spoken bravely about her own experience of revenge porn, said: ‘The forensic can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something that’s makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very very important.

‘It’s quite a simple idea. It makes such a difference to someone who has been through a traumatic time. I know it’s a passion project for the Queen’

James Cleverly, Home Secretary, who last year apologised joking about spiking his wife’s drink with a date rape drug in comments made at a Downing Street reception, was also invited

He said the Queen was ‘admirable’ and was at the reception to celebrate her ‘commitment’.

When the Queen was shown the wash bags, which contain toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, shampoo, lip salve, face cloth, both lotion and a comb, with Emma Aldridge who is charity network manager for In Kind Direct, she said: ‘I’m so glad it’s still going thanks to Boots and your help.’

Carrie Johnson, 36, said after meeting Camilla: ‘I am such a supporter of the Queen. I really am. She has been incredible. 

‘These events are far more important than one might think. They are not just photo calls. They do bring people together who can affect change.’

Carrie explained that a previous event she had been invited to by the Queen, she met campaigners Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, the mother and best friend of Joanna Simpson, killed by her abusive estranged husband, pilot Robert Brown.

At the time they were fighting to keep him being released from prison early.

She added: ‘They came up to me and said “This is what has happened to us. We have this guy, Robert Brown, who is coming out of prison in a few months time. We have tried to get media traction, we have tried to speak to the government, but no one will listen to us.”

‘Together we knocked down a few doors and he is still in prison. When we met they didn’t think that was possible. The Queen directly put us in touch. She knows what she is doing, she is very savvy. She cares, she really cares. These events are really quite amazing.

‘You can tell she cares deeply about it. The reality is that rape conviction rates are abysmal. It’s appalling. While governments tackle that issue, I still feel more can be done.

‘And that’s why the Queen putting a spotlight on these issues and saying ‘this really matters, we need to give women a voice” is important. 

‘A lot of the time victims of rape and sexual assault really feel like they didn’t have a voice, no-one really cares. It doesn’t matter what happens to them. 

‘But even this really simple scheme of wash bags, such as really simple, small thing, can make such a difference. When you are at your worse, small things like that can make all the difference.

‘Small things like having a shower and a cup of hot tea can make such a difference. Gestures like someone running the bath for you…

‘My husband told me when he was mayor of London he did something with Camilla, they went to a refuge, and he said how incredible she was, how inspiring she was. It’s so commendable.

‘She doesn’t lecture people, she listens. She is such a decent person. It’s always such an honour to come, she’s very clever and knows the people she is bringing together.’

Making her speech in the Picture Gallery, Camilla said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Buckingham Palace, as we gather to recognise and thank those who support survivors of sexual violence.

‘Each one of you has a powerful story to tell: whether you work in this country or overseas; whether you are based in a refuge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, a charity, Parliament, or, most important of all, you are a survivor.

‘Your stories and your experiences are vital tools as we seek to bring about change: to forge a world in which people, whoever and wherever they are, do not live in fear of being abused.

‘As I have often heard victims say: speaking about the experience is one of the key ways to survive it. By sharing with one another today, we can strengthen our alliance against sexual abuse in all its forms.

‘Now, we are also here to mark the relaunch of the washbags initiative, with huge thanks to Boots and In Kind Direct, without whom it wouldn’t have been possible. The washbags began as the seed of an idea in 2012, when I started learning more about the horrific impact sexual violence, and its aftermath, has on survivors.

‘You do not, of course, need me to remind you that every year in England and Wales alone, nearly 800,000 women and 275,000 men suffer attempted or actual sexual assault – although the true figures are likely to be much higher.

‘The aim of the washbags was to create something that would be ‘a crumb of comfort’ to those finding themselves in this horrendous position. In 2017, with the support of many of you in this room, I was delighted to launch the initiative at Boots’ headquarters in Nottingham.

‘I mentioned just now how important it is to listen to survivors. I have had the privilege, over the years, of meeting and receiving letters from numerous people who, sadly, have experienced sexual assault.

‘Some have visited SARCs and been given a washbag when the ordeal of the forensic examination was over. I have a copy of one such letter here and have received generous permission to quote from it. This lady wrote to me about her very brave daughter, whom I shall call Jane.

‘Two years ago, Jane attended a SARC, with her mother and sister, for a full forensic examination just hours after being attacked. This was described by her mother as ‘a horrible, if necessary, event. We were preparing to leave and were all feeling very low and subdued.

Jane’s personal contact then returned with a wonderful bag of toiletries and items to pamper and relax her. This simple act completely changed the atmosphere and lifted our moods. It was such a lovely and completely unexpected gesture, which reminded my daughters and I of the kindness of strangers at a very dark time’.

‘As you can imagine, this letter moved me deeply. The phrase ‘the kindness of strangers at a very dark time’ is, to me, the guiding principle of everything that you all do: reaching out a hand of friendship to people who have been de-humanised in the most brutal way; giving comfort to those who are traumatised; and offering hope that physical and emotional healing are possible, as Jane can vouch for.

‘To each one of you, I would therefore like to say – thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories, thank you for your kindness, thank you for not remaining strangers to those enduring the darkest of times, and, most of all, thank you for standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes – forever.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, Women’s Aid offers free support via their instant messaging service and hotline.