King Charles is currently in the Bahamas, the first stop on his Caribbean royal tour, but the 77-year-old monarch touched down without his wife, Queen Camilla. After he concludes his Bahamas visit, His Majesty is set to jet off to Guyana, a place he has toured in 1973 and 2000. But it is not until Charles is on the final leg of his Caribbean tour, in Antigua and Barbuda, that Queen Camilla will join him - is this the reason why?
In the past, it has been well documented that Camilla has a nervousness around flying, and this could well be the reason for her shortened trip, as that way she only has to endure a flight there and back, rather than more in-between, which could well be on smaller planes.
© Getty ImagesCamilla not joining Charles is not a change to the formal schedule, and it was always the plan that Charles would complete the first two stops solo.
However, she has cut a visit short before for this very reason. In April 2018, she left Australia early with a Clarence House spokesman saying at the time: "The Duchess does not like flying but I think she has to sometimes embrace that fear."
The year 2018 could well have been the height of Camilla's phobia as she even opened up about it to therapists. In January of that year, Camilla visited the ITV This Morning studios alongside the then-Prince Charles to mark the show's 30th anniversary, and she spoke behind the scenes and with the show's team, including the resident therapists, the Speakmans, about her anxiety around flying.
© Getty ImagesCamilla feeling 'out of control'
Harley Street hypnotherapist and phobia expert, Christopher Paul Jones, has worked with multiple members of the HELLO! team (including me) to tackle all sorts of fears. He gave us an exclusive insight into Camilla's internal struggles, pointing out that her fear could be linked to "feeling out of control".
He told us: "Fear of flying is rarely about the plane; it is usually about feeling out of control." Further explaining: "Fear of flying is usually made up of several different elements rather than just one. For some people, it can involve a fear of heights, for others, the feeling of being trapped, the movement of turbulence, or the sense of being out of control. Quite often it is also a fear of the fear itself, worrying that they might panic, feel anxious or embarrass themselves during the flight."
© UK Press via Getty ImagesCharles and Camilla’s trip to Antigua and Barbuda coincides with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 which is being hosted in the Caribbean nation from 1 to 4 November.
