Her Majesty The Queen has talked about the vital importance of expert support for those diagnosed with cancer, and their families, in a new video filmed in collaboration with the charity Maggie’s.
In the film, produced to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary, The Queen reveals for the first time how she felt when she officially opened a Maggie’s cancer support centre just days before news of The King’s own diagnosis was made public in 2024.
The Queen, who has been President of Maggie’s since 2008, describes the emotional visit in January 2024 while speaking with the organisation’s Chief Executive Dame Laura Lee DBE. Her Majesty says, “I remember coming to see a Maggie’s just after The King being diagnosed. Nobody could say anything at the time. That was quite difficult.
“I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say. [I] looked at everybody who was suffering and all the relations and I think it made me realise even more how important these places were.”
Her Majesty continued by saying: “I was just longing to let it out but obviously I couldn’t.”
The film, made by Buckingham Palace in conjunction with Maggie’s, features people living with cancer who have been supported by Maggie’s. It also captures Her Majesty’s visit to the centre in Cheltenham earlier this year where she gave a speech to mark 30 years of Maggie’s transformational care.
The visit remembered by The Queen was the official opening of the Maggie’s centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London at the end of January 2024.
Maggie’s Chief Executive Dame Laura Lee DBE said: “It was a huge privilege to sit in conversation with our President, Her Majesty The Queen, as part of a film to mark 30 years of Maggie’s supporting people impacted by cancer, and to hear her speak so powerfully of her own emotions when visiting our Royal Free centre, while knowing about His Majesty’s diagnosis, is a huge honour.
“The King’s openness about his diagnosis has undoubtedly helped others to be more open themselves and to now hear The Queen’s completely understandable and natural response as a wife, shines a light on why it is so important that family and friends also get the support they need.
“Everyone at Maggie’s is incredibly grateful to have Her Majesty The Queen as our President and this extraordinary film not only helps us mark 30 years of providing transformational cancer support, it also helps us look to the future and our ambition of having 60 centres across the UK.”
Her Majesty The Queen has visited 18 out of Maggie’s 27 centres, some more than once. Her most recent visit was to Maggie’s in Cheltenham in January 2026 to help mark the opening of a new extension.
Since the first Maggie’s centre opened in 1996 in the grounds of the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Maggie’s has redefined what cancer care should be, offering free psychological, emotional and practical support for people with cancer as well as their family and friends.
There are now 27 centres across the UK built in the grounds of major NHS cancer hospitals and supporting hundreds of thousands of people each year.
With the number of people with cancer set to rise rapidly over the next 30 years, Maggie’s aims to support millions more visits to centres from people with cancer and people who love them by having 60 Maggie’s centres across the UK – one at every major NHS cancer centre.
The full film collaboration between Maggie’s and Buckingham Palace will be available to view on YouTube at 0001 hrs BST on Wednesday 19th August 2026.