Britain’s Queen Camilla, recovering from a chest infection, recently spoke candidly about her past smoking habits during a reception at Buckingham Palace.
At the event on Wednesday, Camilla and King Charles met with several film and TV stars. The Queen engaged in a conversation with Paddington actress Emily Mortimer and discussed Mortimer’s mother, Penelope, whom Camilla knows personally, according to a GB News report.
When Mortimer mentioned that her mother “sends her love,” Camilla asked about her well-being. Mortimer responded, as quoted by GB News, “Oh, she’s still smoking as much as ever,” prompting Camilla to remark, “Oh, she’s still on the fags?”
Mortimer then asked the Queen, “Oh, have you quit the fags?” Camilla replied, “Oh yes, I quit 20 years ago,” earning Mortimer’s praise: “Well done.”
Public speculation about Camilla’s smoking habits was fueled by a 1997 photograph of her holding a cigarette outside her Wiltshire home. However, last month, Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, refuted these claims in an interview with The Times, saying, “She has never drunk a glass of gin in her life. Doesn’t smoke.” He also noted that his mother rarely drinks alcohol and added, “I’ve never seen her so much as tipsy.”
Camilla resumed royal duties this week after missing Remembrance Day events due to her illness. At a reception for Booker Prize nominees earlier this week, she shared an update on her health: “I’m on the mend. These things always take a bit of time to get rid of… but hopefully I’m on the mend now.”
Despite returning to some engagements, her schedule remains reduced, and she will miss the London premiere of Gladiator II.