Queen Camilla's Son Shares Update on King Charles' Health: 'He's a Tough Man'

Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has given new insight into how King Charles is doing amid his cancer treatment.

Tom, 49, gave a brief update about his stepfather’s health in his new interview with British Vogue about his upcoming cookbook, Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III. The food writer said that the King, 75, said is receiving “the best treatment,” but acknowledged that it was impossible not to worry about a loved one navigating cancer. 

“Cancer, it really is a bastard,” Tom told British Vogue in an interview published Sept. 24. “The King’s having the best treatment. He’s a great man and a tough man, and you’ve just got to get on with it. Of course, anyone who has someone they love with cancer is going to worry.”

The profile maintained that Tom is “super close” with his mother the Queen who “adores” her grandchildren, including his kids Lola, 16, and son Freddy, 14, whom he shares with his ex-wife Sara Buys. Tom’s latest comments on the King follow another similar sentiment he recently shared while promoting Cooking and the Crown, where he referenced his mother’s strength.

According to Daily Express, Tom said that King Charles’ “treatment is going well” and that Queen Camilla is forging forward, too. 

“She’s tough, my mother,” Tom said in the Sept. 24 report.

Queen Camilla welcomed her son and daughter Laura Lopes during her first marriage to  Andrew Parker Bowles, and they both stepped out to support a launch event for Tom’s cookbook in London on Sept. 5. Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III will be published in the U.K. on Sept. 26 and released in the U.S. on Oct. 22, and some of Charles and Camilla’s go-to recipes are reportedly in its contents.

The upcoming cookbook will explore “200 years of British royal food, studded with anecdotes, delectable tidbits and nuggets of history, featuring 100 accessible recipes” from Tom, an award-winning food writer and restaurant critic for The Mail on Sunday, according to its Amazon page. The summary lists a recipe for “Queen Camilla’s porridge,” “The King’s wet martini,” “Buckingham Palace mutton pies” and more.

While the King didn’t appear with his wife at the party for Cooking and the Crown, he has many official outings since his return to public-facing duties following the announcement about his cancer diagnosis. In February, Buckingham Palace shared that the sovereign was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer following his treatment for a benign enlarged prostate in January. A spokesman clarified he does not have prostate cancer. 

The King postponed public-facing work on doctor’s advice for three months, and resumed forward-facing engagements with a visit to a cancer center (not affiliated with his medical care) on April 30. At the time, Buckingham Palace described the King’s treatment as ongoing and said future engagements would be amended as necessary “to minimize any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”

Looking ahead, the King and Queen, 77, are gearing up for a major trip to Australia and Samoa in October. The visit will be the couple’s first tour to Commonwealth countries since the King’s accession and planned as he continues cancer treatment.

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The royal couple won’t stop in New Zealand (another Commonwealth country), as is typical for long-distance trips to that part of the world, around the King’s health. In the July tour announcement, a spokesperson said that a New Zealand leg was nixed as “the King’s doctors have advised that such an extended program should be avoided at this time, to prioritize His Majesty’s continued recovery.”