Camilla makes it to state banquet after pneumonia revelation
The Queen missed the ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade but attended the lunch and Picture Gallery exhibition staged for the Emir of Qatar.
The Queen stepped out in a deep red velvet evening gown and towering Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara as she rallied to attend a state banquet.
Camilla, who is suffering from post-viral fatigue after having pneumonia, joined the King, the Prince of Wales and guests including David and Victoria Beckham in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom on Tuesday evening.
The opulent state dinner, in honour of the Emir of Qatar, is a key part of the royal family’s soft power diplomacy during the important state visit.
The Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara belonged to the late Queen, as did Camilla’s diamond necklace.
Camilla also wore diamond earrings from her own private collection and a ruby and diamond bracelet.
On her gown were both the family orders of Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
The diamond-encased miniature portraits of the monarchs are set on coloured silk bows and worn on the left shoulder.
Family orders badges are worn at formal evening occasions by female members of the royal family and personally bestowed by the sovereign, and are a sign of the importance of the wearer within the royal household.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a Suzannah dress with diamond and aquamarine tiara, part of the Royal Collection.
The Queen contracted her chest infection after a long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa and has pulled out of a series of engagements since then, including the Royal Variety Performance, the Gladiator II premiere and the Remembrance Day service at The Cenotaph.
But instead of joining a reception in the Music Room before the banquet, she briefly retired for 30 minutes to take a short break, before joining the royal procession into the Ballroom, where she was seated next to the King.
The Queen is said to be facing bouts of extreme tiredness as she recovers from her chest infection.
A royal source said: “Some days the Queen is on really good form. It’s just one of those things.
“She has lost the coughing but the lingering side of it is bouts of extreme tiredness.
“There has to be a degree of flex in the Queen’s diary at the moment.”
