Queen Camilla is opening up for the first time about the early days of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.

Buckingham Palace revealed in early 2024 that the king had been diagnosed with cancer, though it did not disclose the type of cancer.

Just before the king’s announcement was made public, Camilla visited a Maggie’s center in the U.K. The centers, named after founder Maggie Keswick Jencks, are free support spaces that help people affected by cancer, as well as their friends and family.

“I remember coming to see a Maggie’s just after the king being diagnosed,” Camilla shared Wednesday in a video on the royal family’s Instagram. “Nobody could say anything at the time ― that was quite difficult.”

“I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say,” Camilla added.

Her visit to Maggie’s occurred Jan. 31, 2024, with the palace announcing Charles’ cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5, 2024. “I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t.”

When visiting Maggie’s, Camilla said, she was “questioning” the people she met.

“I didn’t want to pry too deeply. But normally when I went in, I was just talking to them, but I don’t know ― I felt it was much more deep,” she explained.

Charles gave a rare update on his cancer last year during a conversation with florist Safeena Khan at an engagement in Bradford, England.

Khan told The Telegraph the king said he’d “like to think I’m on the better side” and gave her a thumbs-up when asked about his health.

The king also said in December of last year that his treatment was being reduced, something he credited to an early diagnosis.

“Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives,” Charles said. “I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life even while undergoing treatment.”

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