Tom Parker Bowles, son of Queen Camilla, provided an update on his mother’s health this Thursday after she suffered from a chest infection.
Earlier this week, Camilla said she is “getting much better” as she arrived at a Booker Prize reception in her first public engagement since falling ill with a chest infection.
The Queen’s illness forced her to miss gathering with the King, the Princess of Wales and the rest of the royal family at the annual Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph, and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall the evening before.
Camilla’s son Tom appeared on Thursday’s BBC Morning Live to cook a tasty mushroom pasta dish, where he offered an update on his mother.
Presenter Sara Cox inquired: “Is your mum feeling better now? She was a bit rough with a chest infection?” to which Tom responded: “She was and I know for a fact, I’m not speaking out of school here, that she’s utterly devastated to miss the Remembrance Sunday service which is not just important to everybody but hugely important to her as well”, reports Wales Online.
He continued, reflecting on the significance of the event: “My grandfather was in the war, as most of our grandparents or great-grandparents were. Gutted. I saw her, this is how I find out about things, I look at the telly and see where she is. She was doing the Booker Prize a couple of days ago, it was a really really bad infection.”
To this, Sara replied: “I’m glad she’s feeling a bit perkier!” to which Tom confirmed: “Well yes, I think she is, yeah!”
Earlier this week, the Queen was greeted in the Garden Room by chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, and chair of the 2024 judges, Edmund de Waal.
She shook their hands and told Ms Wood: “I’m obviously getting much better. A bit of sort of coughing going on. I really wanted to come.”
The Queen went on to speak with the six shortlisted authors and told American writer Percival Everett, who she met after they made the 2022 shortlist, that: “I think I’m on the mend, but these things always take a bit time to get rid of.
“You think you’ve got rid of it, then they just sort of hang on for a little bit, but hopefully I’m on the mend now.”
Camilla is an avid reader and patron of a number of literary organisations, and last year hosted the six 2023 Booker Prize hopefuls at Clarence House.
BBC Morning Live continues on weekdays at 9:30am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.