Queen Camilla opens £50m Dyson Cancer Centre in Bath

During a speech at the official opening of a new £50m cancer treatment centre, Queen Camilla said the King was “doing very well” while undergoing cancer treatment.

The Queen unveiled a plaque and met staff and patients at the new Dyson Cancer Centre at the Royal United Hospital, Bath.

In her speech, she said: “There is an incredibly friendly atmosphere here and you can see that it actually lifts people’s spirits in very difficult times.”

The new center includes oncology rooms, chemotherapy and radiotherapy departments, as well as a hospital ward with 22 beds and research laboratories.

The Queen was asked about the King by Suzie Moon of the Macmillan charity, which has a wellbeing centre at the new facility. She replied: “Yes, he is doing very well.”

King Charles III is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer and postponed public meetings in February to resume public events in April.

Princess of Wales He was undergoing chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Queen Camilla spoke to other cancer patients, including Paul Holdway, 55, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, who was recovering after a stem cell transplant to treat blood cancer.

Mr Holdway told the Queen he was tired after the procedure.

Camilla replied jokingly, apparently referring to her husband’s cancer treatments: “Men don’t admit to it,” Mrs Holdway said later.

The centre, which treats patients from Wiltshire and Somerset, can accommodate up to 300 people a day.

Nic Noble raised around £1million to build a new centre to honour the memory of her sister, who died of cancer and was present for the royal visit.

She said: “Thankfully my mother was introduced to her (the Queen) which was a great joy for me – she had a lovely chat with her.”

She added that the Queen was “just such a lovely lady. She was down to earth, she made everyone feel at ease.”

Ms Noble’s mother, Diane Young, said she had spoken to the Queen about how “terrible” the facilities replaced by the new centre were.

“We talked about how great the new center was, and I was so proud of Nic and her late sister. She was very approachable and clearly impressed with the new center,” she added.

During the visit, the Queen received flowers from members of the public.

The cost of building the centre was met by a government grant of £40 million, with the James Dyson Foundation making a donation of £4 million.

Sir James Dyson, founder and chief engineer, previously said the hospital needed new space, describing the old cancer ward as “very old” and “not fit for purpose”.

Macmillan Cancer Support donated £1.5m, with a further £1m donated by the Medlock Charitable Trust.

RUHX, the foundation’s official charity, also raised £5 million for the centre, where the Macmillan charity has also opened a wellbeing centre.

After visiting the hospital, Queen Camilla travelled to the village of Lacock in Wiltshire, where an egg company was opening its new headquarters and packing plant.

Stonegate Farmers began in 1926 as a cooperative of farmers sending eggs to market.

They are now known nationally for their Clarence Court brand.