Queen Camilla has returned to the royal schedule after the Christmas vacations and has been busy participating in several solo engagements lately.
Like anyone who takes her job seriously Charles III prepares thoroughly for every event, but, like everyone else, she sometimes gets it wrong.
An example of this occurred recently during a visit to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. While touring the facility, the queen made a comment that surprised those present.
Queen Camilla at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon
While there, Camilla interacted with staff, patients, and volunteers involved in the $41 million expansion for urgent and emergency care and shared a personal experience that quickly raised some eyebrows.
According to Rebecca English of the Daily Mail, the queen revealed that she gave birth to her daughter Laura at that hospital in an “off-the-cuff” comment.
She did so while unveiling a plaque to officially open the new department.
“I was thinking about it, and I probably haven’t been inside this hospital for 47 years, since I had my daughter, so that was a few years ago,” the queen said in a video shared by English on X.
“But I really wanted to congratulate everybody who has done such a brilliant job with this place, and everybody who is working here.”
“I do know from first-hand experience the difference you are making to this part of the country. So congratulations to you all. Thank you,” the queen concluded.
At first glance, these statements might not seem problematic, but there is one small detail: the queen’s daughter could not have been born in that hospital, as it was opened in 2002.
However, there is an explanation for the slip-up. Camilla’s youngest daughter was born in January 1978, also in Swindon, so it is possible that she simply got confused.
According to British media, it appears the queen may have gotten Great Western mixed up with Princess Margaret Hospital, which was in the same area and was demolished in 2004.
In addition, before joining the royal family and formalizing her relationship with Charles III, Camilla lived nearby in Corsham, which makes it even more plausible that her daughter was born in Swindon.