Queen Camilla is set to join King Charles towards the end of his autumn royal tour, with the monarch having begun his Caribbean visit this week by landing in the Bahamas on Tuesday. The 77-year-old King appeared in good spirits despite travelling without his wife, who will only join him for the final leg of the tour in Antigua and Barbuda.
While the royal couple typically undertake tours together, this has not always been the case. For this particular trip, Camilla will not be with her husband until he reaches the last stage, meaning the King will still visit Guyana alone before being reunited with her. The official reason for her absence has not been confirmed by the Palace.
Reported fear of flying
It is believed that Queen Camilla's absence may be linked to her reported fear of flying, as she may wish to avoid taking as many flights as possible. By only travelling to Antigua and Barbuda, she would only have to deal with the flight there and back, unlike King Charles, who will undertake in-between flights that may have been on smaller planes.
This is not the first time Camilla has not attended an entire tour with her husband. In April 2018, she left Australia earlier than he did. A Clarence House spokesman said at the time: "The Duchess does not like flying, but I think she has to sometimes embrace that fear."
Former royal butler's comments
While Camilla has not shared many details about her fear of flying, a former royal butler once confirmed that it was something she feared. Grant Harrold, who worked with the royal couple between 2005 and 2011, said that flying is not her favourite mode of transport, and that her fear seems to revolve more around turbulence than height.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, he once said: "Camilla is definitely not a fan of flying. While she has to travel all over the world, flying was never her favourite mode of transport. But even though she has this fear, she deals with it when she does have to travel." He also noted that the smaller jets the royals sometimes fly between places can be subject to more turbulence than usual, which may explain why Camilla is not taking part in every aspect of this autumn tour. This has not been officially confirmed by the Palace.
