King doing 'very well,' Camilla tells Belfast crowds

Queen Camilla says her husband King Charles, who is being treated for cancer, is doing "very well" as she greeted crowds on a visit to Northern Ireland.

Charles has been absent from public duties since January while he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, leaving Camilla and heir-to-the-throne Prince William to be the public face of the royal family.

Camilla, 76, joked with members of the public in Belfast, telling workers in a bakery that a smartly dressed small boy there was "a natural for the cameras" as he stole the limelight.

Handed a get well card for the King, Camilla thanked a well-wisher, adding: "He's doing very well .... he was very disappointed he couldn't come".

Responding to quips about men "not being the best patients," Camilla said: "I try to keep him in order".

Camilla and William have been out and about this week, meeting people and carrying out charity, holding the fort for the royal family while another of its star players, Kate, the Princess of Wales, also recuperates from a health problem.

Kate is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter on March 31, following abdominal surgery for a non-cancerous condition in January.

Interest in her health has kept Kate in the headlines.

The United Kingdom's data watchdog said on Wednesday it was looking into a report that staff at the London hospital where she was treated had attempted to access her private health records.

Camilla, who loves books and has set up a reading charity, is due to attend an event later on Thursday celebrating Northern Ireland's literary history, at Hillsborough Castle, hosted by poet Paul Muldoon.

Last month Camilla said Charles was "doing extremely well under the circumstances".

with PA