The King and Queen have been reunited in Antigua and Barbuda ahead of their attendance at this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place from 1 to 4 November in the capital city of St. John’s.

So far, Charles has travelled solo and carried out the first two legs of his Caribbean tour alone – spending three days in the Bahamas followed by two in Guyana. It was not until Saturday, day five of his foreign tour, that he was joined by his wife Camilla. The Queen was never expected to undertake the first part of the tour, so why did she join midway?

Speaking on the latest episode of HELLO!‘s A Right Royal Podcast, Royal Editor Emily Nash explained: “The Queen didn’t arrive in the Caribbean until the weekend, and she’s going to join him in Antigua and Barbuda. We know she’s going to be 77 next year. She doesn’t love long-haul travel.

“She, I think, finds being out in the heat all day quite draining, and it’s tough for most people who are out working in the early 30 degrees all day long. So, she’s going to come later, but she will be at his side for the big events at CHOGM. She’s got quite a few engagements of her own as well.”

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Camilla’s fear of flying

Camilla’s nervousness around flying is well-documented, explaining why she did not join her husband on the first legs of his tour, which would have required more air travel between the Caribbean countries. 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.”

In January of that year, Camilla also 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.

Charles’ solo start to his Caribbean tour

Despite his wife’s noticeable absence, the King carried out a successful start to his tour, which had been dubbed his most challenging yet due to the ongoing calls for slavery reparations and for Britain to address its colonial past. Charles also encountered a series of small yet vocal protests during his visit to the Bahamas.

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A palace spokesperson reiterated that the King would not “shy away” from the conversation, but that it was government policy to not apologise or agree to reparations. Despite this, in his first public speech of the trip, the monarch did acknowledge the “suffering of the past”.

“It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future,” the King said, before adding that “leaders of the governments of affected Commonwealth countries will be discussing these matters in Antigua and Barbuda next week”.