Palace Employees Reveal They've "All Tried" to Get King Charles to "Slow Down" Amid Cancer Treatment

"Now he wants to do more and more and more. That's the problem."

 King Charles III (who celebrates his 76th birthday today) departs after formally opening the first Coronation Food Hub in Deptford Trading Estate on November 14, 2024 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

King Charles was recently hospitalized due to side effects caused by his ongoing cancer treatment, but don't expect the monarch to slow down any time soon. Despite it being reported that there is only one person King Charles will listen to regarding his health—his wife Queen Camilla—it appears as though The King's spouse has her limitations. According to Buckingham Palace sources, everyone from Charles's royal aides to wife Camilla has tried to influence the monarch's schedule, and they've all been unsuccessful so far.

When asked whether King Charles had been officially advised to scale back on his workload, a senior palace official told The Sun, "We've all tried! But as people will have seen, The King enjoys his work."

King Charles III and Queen Camilla meet British Muslim women at a female led restaurant and help pack donation boxes ahead of Ramadan, at Darjeeling Express, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street on February 26, 2025 in London, England

"I think he loves his work and it keeps him going."

(Image credit: Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Queen Camilla weighed in on her husband's fast-paced lifestyle, telling reporters (via The Sun), "No, I think he loves his work and it keeps him going." She continued, "And I think it's wonderful, you know, if you've been ill and you are recovering, you're getting better and now he wants to do more and more and more. That's the problem."

Earlier this month, royal commentator Phil Dampier appeared on an episode of The Sun's "Royal Exclusive" show, and suggested that The King needs to cut back on his "ridiculous" schedule. "Camilla is forever telling him to slow down," Dampier explained. "She'd like him to pace himself. She'd like him to take it easy, but he's just got this work ethic."

King Charles and Queen Camilla greeting Pope Francis at the Vatican

King Charles and Queen Camilla greeting Pope Francis at the Vatican in April 2025.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Dampier also shared that King Charles was known for "working late into the night and literally falling asleep at his desk." According to the royal expert, The King "likes being busy," but it seems as though he "needs to curtail that sort of ridiculous workload."

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend 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.