Christmas is usually a time for celebration and togetherness – something that has been in short supply in the royal family this year following King Charles’ and the Princess of Wales’s respective cancer diagnoses. Most recently, Queen Camilla was diagnosed with pneumonia and has been urged to take time to rest and fully recover. It is thought that she contracted the illness a month ago during her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘The Queen has been suffering from a viral infection which has been diagnosed as pneumonia. Her Majesty has not required hospital treatment but is experiencing lingering side effects, chiefly suffering extreme bouts of tiredness which has meant the need for greater flex in her working diary.

‘Her symptoms have been persistent for a number of weeks but fortunately she is well enough to attend several engagements for the Qatari state visit and looks forward to returning to a full schedule as soon as possible.’

As such, during the Qatari state visit Camilla took part in the indoor events including a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, but she did not attend the outdoor parts of the welcoming ceremony.

Queen Camilla’s health update comes at a time of increasing uncertainty for the royal family. Several senior royals have had to take a step back from their usual duties because of their health this year – throwing the family’s role in public life into question.

The Queen, for one, was absent during various Remembrance events in November, including the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance and the traditional Cenotaph wreath laying, which King Charles and other UK dignitaries attended. She also pulled out of the Royal Variety Performance last week, with Buckingham Palace releasing a statement about her lingering chest infection symptoms.

Kate Middleton stepped back from her royal duties between last Christmas and June after announcing her cancer diagnosis in March. Her absence in those early months caused such a frenzy online that it sparked international conspiracy theories about her whereabouts. She has, however, been making a steady return to public life since she was given the all clear in September and is set to host her annual Together At Christmas carol concert on 6 December.

Meanwhile, King Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer in February, has also had to absent himself from several major events this year. In October, the King missed the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan while he underwent cancer treatment, which, given his role as a lifelong environmentalist, came as a blow to both him and the organisers.

However, he was able to complete his recent nine-day visit to the Commonwealth with Camilla by his side. It is thought that the King paused his weekly cancer treatment in London to do so. Their visit to Australia and Samoa was Charles’ first major tour since his cancer diagnosis; it was also his first visit to any Commonwealth realm outside of the UK since becoming King.

Unfortunately, it was not plain sailing for the royal couple. The King was heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe during their visit to Canberra, who accused him of ‘genocide’ after he delivered a speech paying his ‘respects to the traditional owners of the land’. Thorpe shouted, ‘Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty.’ Despite attending more than 30 official engagements during the trip, it was not the PR triumph Charles and Camilla might have been hoping for.

Unfortunately, it is also the trip where Camilla’s health started to deteriorate when she contracted pneumonia – the name given to the inflammation of the lungs which is usually caused by an infection such as flu, a cold or other viruses.

In more ways than one, the royals are not as infallible as they once were – or at least once seemed to be. As the BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, stated, ‘There is no getting away from the fact that we now have a fairly elderly King and Queen. Camilla’s recent chest infection is a reminder that neither of them is a spring chicken and they cannot be expected to go full pelt into the coming year.’

She continued, ‘Charles […] can be a very introspective man and some people feared that his cancer diagnosis would make him morose. But by all accounts, he has been positive from the start, he has used his own illness to encourage other men to come forward for tests.’

Of course, it is paramount that all members of the royal family prioritise their health over their public duties, but it is becoming difficult to ignore the debate surrounding their relevancy in a modern world. The absence of senior royals from typical royal events, state visits and charitable obligations this year only confirms that, in many ways, the show still goes on without them.

As for Camilla’s health update, it serves as a reminder that Christmas and indeed the year ahead may take a different shape to usual. With three out of the four most senior royals still in fragile health, Prince William is under increasing pressure to tow the line.

If his recent documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness on ITV and Disney+ – which prompted widespread backlash and accusations of hypocrisy on the royal family’s part – is anything to go by, it’s not going to be easy.