King Charles and Queen Camilla Step Out in Show of Support for Her Queen’s Companion’s Late Husband

King Charles and Queen Camilla made a special outing to support a close friend.

On May 30, the King, 75, and Queen, 76, attended a memorial service for Sir Chips Keswick at St Paul’s Church in London. He died at age 84 on April 17 and was the husband of Queen Camilla’s Queen’s Companion, Lady Sarah Keswick.

The royal couple arrived together, and King Charles spent time speaking to The Reverend Canon Alan Gyle. Sir Chips was the former chairman of Hambros Bank and Arsenal Football Club, which shared condolences following his death.

“Everyone at the Club is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sir Chips Keswick. Sir Chips’ time at Arsenal spanned 15 years in which he served as both a board member and Chairman,” the Premier League team wrote on X in April. “May he rest in peace.”

His widow, Lady Sarah, was supported at the memorial service by fellow Queen’s Companions including Queen Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot, Jane von Westenholz and Fiona Shelburne. The four women are among the six friends that Queen Camila reportedly tapped as Queen’s Companions following her husband’s accession in September 2022. The Queen’s Companions are a modern spin on the ladies-in-waiting Queen Elizabeth relied on throughout her record reign, and the companion post is more informal with reduced responsibilities.

While ladies-in-waiting traditionally assisted with Queen Elizabeth’s correspondence and administration, the companions were slated to simply support Queen Camilla at official engagements, the BBC reported. Some of Camilla’s friendships with the women stretch back decades, as evidenced by a photo of the future Queen with then-Prince Charles and Lady Sarah in 1979 that circulated amid the Queen’s Companion news.