Queen Camilla has been notably absent as King Charles has arrived in the Bahamas.
The British monarch has touched down in the archipelago for a nine-day tour of the Caribbean, his first since becoming King.
While Camilla usually joins Charles overseas, she is skipping his visit to the Bahamas due to her fear of flying, according to insiders.
“Camilla’s travel issues does limit her ability to join him on a tour like this one, with all kinds of island hopping on smaller planes,” an insider tells New Idea.
Instead, Camilla will join Charles for the final leg of the Caribbean tour in Antigua and Barbuda, avoiding any island hopping between The Bahamas and Guyana on smaller planes.
“Joining him for the last stop means less flights and less stress,” our insider explains.
“She really wanted to be there for him for the whole tour as it’s such a crucial period for the Commonwealth and he needs all the support he can get, but it was Charles who insisted she minimise her time on planes by meeting up with her for the last leg.”
It was always the plan that Charles would complete the first two stops solo, and it has reignited conversation about Camilla’s nervousness about flying.
Though Camilla often travels overseas with Charles, she has struggled long-term with aerophobia, which saw her leave Australia early during the April 2018 tour.
“[Camilla] does not like flying but I think she has to sometimes embrace that fear,” a Clarence House spokesman said at the time.
Her fear has also seen Camilla alter other long-haul travel arrangements, and she has even opened up about her phobia to therapists.
Camilla’s phobia was no doubt worsened when a plane she was flying on suffered an on-board scare in October 2022.
According to reports at the time, Camilla was travelling to London Heathrow from India when the aircraft collided with a bird, leaving a dent in the plane’s nose.
“The aircraft landed safely, and customers disembarked as normal,” a British Airways spokesperson confirmed at the time.
Camilla has also opened up about her fear of needles in the past, detailing having to face her fears to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“I hate injections so much that I shut my eyes,” she shared at the time.
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