King Charles Is "Reluctant" to Agree to Queen Camilla's New Rule While "Pausing" Cancer Treatment

"He now eats half an avocado to sustain him."

King Charles and Queen Camilla look sad as they sit on a bench at the dedication service for the National Memorial to British Victims of Overseas Terrorism at the National Memorial Arboretum on May 17, 2018
(Image credit: Paul Ellis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

King Charles has been resisting his wife's rules amid news he's planning to take a break from cancer treatment in October. According to a new report, despite the monarch's reservations, he has apparently relented, with "some reluctance," and agreed to follow Queen Camilla's advice.

A source, who spoke to the The Mail on Sunday, alleged that the King had been forced to start eating lunch everyday. The 75-year-old royal has reportedly always forgone lunch, claiming to be too busy to stop and eat. However, "on the orders of his wife, aides and doctors, he has grudgingly started eating in the middle of the day to keep his strength up," the outlet reported.

"With some reluctance, he now has something to eat at lunchtime—a snack, really," a source told The Mail on Sunday. "He now eats half an avocado to sustain him through the day. It's important, particularly if you have got an illness."

Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer in February 2024. It was later reported that Queen Camilla didn't want Charles to share his cancer diagnosis with the general public, but she was "overruled."

King Charles wearing a suit and tie

"He now eats half an avocado to sustain him through the day."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, recently shared an update on his stepfather's health. While promoting his new book, Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, Parker Bowles explained (via the Express) that Charles' "doctor says the treatment is going well."

Parker Bowles also revealed that his mom, Queen Camilla, was remaining as strong as possible while her husband underwent cancer treatment. "She's tough, my mother," he said.

While Charles has allegedly only agreed to eat half an avocado each lunchtime, the King is a huge fan of food. Writing for the Daily Mail, Parker Bowles said of his stepdad, "There is no man who knows more about food and farming, from the best of British cheeses, through rare breeds of sheep and cow, to heritage varieties of plum, apple and pear, than the King."

Parker Bowles also revealed that King Charles ensures he eats as much fresh food each day as possible. "Just like the sovereigns before him, his kitchens are filled with the seasonal bounty of the royal estates and gardens, from game, beef and lamb, to peas, strawberries, raspberries and chard," Parker Bowles wrote. "That, along with state banquets, and the importance of tea as a mid-afternoon meal, is a tradition that has endured through the ages."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.