King Charles was "really thrilled to be out" this week according to Queen Camilla who told a guest at the palace on Thursday: "I've been trying to hold him back."
The Queen made the remarks while hosting 300 guests at Buckingham Palace to recognise people who support victims of sexual assault.
Camilla, 76, also delivered a hard-hitting speech to attendees including Cherie Blair, Carrie Johnson and Theresa May in which she thanked them for "standing up and committing yourselves to bringing an end to these heinous crimes".
The reception was to relaunch The Wash Bag Project, which provides a wash bag of toiletries, donated by Boots and distributed by In Kind Direct, to people affected by rape and sexual abuse.
But the Queen gave an update on the King's health 24 hours after he returned to public-facing front-line duty with a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre.
Speaking to Teresa Tideman, chairman of In Kind Direct, the Queen said: “I think he was really thrilled to be out.
“I've been trying to hold him back.”
Earlier this week, the King spoke of his “shock” at being diagnosed with cancer as he met fellow patients on his return to public-facing duties.
Charles candidly described the experience of being told he had the disease when he visited University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London, to learn about the latest treatments and chat to staff providing the pioneering care.
The wash bag scheme was inspired by the Queen in 2013 after meeting survivors of rape and sexual assault during visits to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and has now teamed up with In Kind Direct, a charity founded by the King in 1996.
The bags - containing toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, comb, and face cloth - are given to victims after they have been forensically examined.
Zara McDermott, who fronted a BBC documentary Uncovering Rape Culture, said the examination “can feel really invasive and traumatic so having something that’s makes them feel a lot more normal and human after that is very, very important
"It’s quite a simple idea. It makes such a difference to someone who has been through a traumatic time. I know it’s a passion project for the Queen".
Carrie Johnson, the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said the Queen’s support for the cause “has been incredible”.
The 36-year-old said: “You can tell she cares deeply about it. The reality is that rape conviction rates are abysmal. It’s appalling. While governments tackle that issue, I still feel more can be done.
"And that’s why the Queen putting a spotlight on these issues and saying ‘this really matters, we need to give women a voice’ is important. A lot of the time victims of rape and sexual assault really feel like they don’t have a voice, no-one really cares. It doesn’t matter what happens to them.
“But even this really simple scheme of wash bags, such as really simple, small thing, can make such a difference. When you are at your worse, small things like that can make all the difference.”
Speaking to the assembled audience in the palace’s Picture Gallery, Camilla said the scheme aimed to “be 'a crumb of comfort' to those finding themselves in this horrendous position”.
She read from a letter she had been sent by the mother of a young woman who been attacked and taken for a forensic examination who said being given the wash bag was “such a lovely and completely unexpected gesture, which reminded my daughters and I of the kindness of strangers at a very dark time”.
The Queen added: “As you can imagine, this letter moved me deeply.
“The phrase “the kindness of strangers at a very dark time” is, to me, the guiding principle of everything that you all do: reaching out a hand of friendship to people who have been de-humanised in the most brutal way; giving comfort to those who are traumatised; and offering hope that physical and emotional healing are possible”.
