Queen Camilla appears in high spirits as she arrives at Douglas Borough Council in Isle of Man to present the Letters Patent conferring its City status

Queen Camilla received a warm welcome in the Isle of Man today as she represented King Charles on an official visit.

The King had been planning to travel to the dependency prior to his diagnosis to present the Letters Patent conferring City status on the Borough of Douglas.

Douglas, the island's capital, was granted City status in May 2022 as part of the celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.

Queen Camilla arrived at Ronaldsway Airport around noon and was welcomed by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Sir John Lorimer, who represents the Crown on the island, and his wife Lady Lorimer.

She arrived at Douglas Borough Council around 12.30 and was met by the city's Mayor, Natalie Byron-Teare.

Queen Camilla arrived at Douglas Borough Council in Douglas, Isle of Man, earlier this afternoon 

Her Majesty was sharply dressed in a blue Anna Valentine coat and dress with navy fringe details adorned with a hefty diamond and sapphire broach, which was a gift to Queen Victoria from Prince Albert.

Residents hung out of nearby windows as Queen Camilla headed inside to the council chamber to present the Letters Patent.

The Mayor's Chaplain, Monsignor John Devine, led a prayer for the King and said he hoped he would have 'many fruitful years in the nation's service'.

Camilla then stood to address the chamber, saying: 'My husband is so sorry that he cannot be here today on this extremely special occasion. He sent me here armed with a speech to read out today.'

The speech began: 'I am desperately disappointed not to be able to join you today as we celebrate the conferral of the city status of Douglas here on the Isle of Man.'

'The granting of City status is particularly special to me as the Letters Patent are the only ones in existence that hold my signature and that of my late mother'.

The King's speech added that he was 'grateful' to the Queen for stepping in.

The Mayor then thanked Queen Camilla and asked her to convey her best wishes to the King.

Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer (left) greeted Queen Camilla upon her arrival to Douglas Borough Council

Ellan Vannin pipes and drums played in the streets outside the City Hall to welcome Queen Camilla 

School children lined the streets and waved Union Jack flags as they waited for Camilla's arrival 

Looking typically stylish, Her Majesty donned an all-blue ensemble to confer City status on the Borough of Douglas

After Camilla signed the letters, she unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion alongside Natalie Byron-Teare, Mayor of Douglas (left)

Her Majesty signed the visitor's book before heading out to greet the cheering crowds, many of whom gifted her bouquets of flowers.

Among them were 38-year-old mother Rachael Hughes and her 15-week old twins, Louie and Oliver, who caught Camilla's eye in their matching blue outfits.

'Camilla came over to admire the boys, asked their names and said it gets easier when they are two! It was so lovely to see her. She is doing a great job and she looks fabulous,' said Rachael.

Another admirer was 8-year-old local schoolgirl Ella Ramshaw, who asked Queen Camilla if she could be her 'best friend'.

'She said 'yes, of course I can' and I just burst out with excitement. I'm a big fan of her and I am sad the King could not be here.'

Adrian Beacham, a 72-year-old retired resident, gifted Her Majesty a model steam train, which are still used on the island. Camilla told him that she was 'delighted' the island was keeping their heritage alive.

Her Majesty appeared cheerful as she signed a book at Douglas Borough Council 

Camilla smiled as she shook the hand of a confident young school child waiting outside of the City Hall 

After meeting members of the public Camilla was whisked away to Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor and his family, to meet the Isle of Man's Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan, and community groups including representatives from the RNLI and the Manx Bluetits swimming club.

The Mayor of Douglas, Natalie Byron-Teare, said: 'It's been sensational to have Camilla here. Hopefully the King will get the chance to come again and we would welcome him back any time. It's great to finally have city status.'

Douglas has been the capital of the Isle of Man since 1896 and is home to the Manx Parliament, Tynwald, which is the oldest continuous parliament in the world.

His Majesty The King has visited the Island on three occasions, most recently in 2012

when he was accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, as Duchess of Cornwall.

It was the birthplace of the RNLI and of the three brothers who formed the popular pop group the Bee Gees.

The Island was also home to the founder of Thomas the Tank Engine, Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who created the much-loved stories based on the Island's Steam Railway.

Had the King been able to visit, it would have been the island's first royal visit from a monarch since 2003.

The move meant the island became the only Crown Dependency with a capital city.

It proved to be a lighthearted moment for Camilla, as she giggled while meeting the young man 

It wasn't just school children that Camilla greeted in Douglas earlier today, but also a newborn baby 

School children lined the streets of Douglas to welcome the Queen while waving handmade flags 

Camilla's visit follows explosive claims that at least one staff member had attempted to access personal details about Kate following her planned abdominal surgery in January. 

The chief executive of the London Clinic, Al Russell, finally broke his silence this afternoon, saying in a statement: 'Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality.

'We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.

'We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.

'There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.'

Camilla looked pleased to accept two colourful bouquets of tulips from members of the public 

Queen Camilla and Mayor of Douglas, Natalie Byron-Teare (right), departed Douglas Borough Council after the ceremony

Members of the council stood at the bottom of the staircase as Camilla left the City Hall 

The Princess is said to be aware of the allegations, while a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: 'This is a matter for the London Clinic.'

Earlier today the health secretary Maria Caulfield, who is herself a nurse, said the rules were 'very clear' about the ban on accessing private medical information for no medical purpose.

She told LBC: 'My understanding is that police have been asked to look at it - whether they take action is a matter for them.

'But the Information Commissioner can also take prosecutions, can also issue fines, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and other health regulators can strike you off the register if the breach is serious enough.

'So there are particularly hefty implications if you are looking at notes for medical records that you should not be looking at.'

Despite Ms Caulfield's claims, the Met said it 'was not aware of any referral at this time'.

The princess was admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery on January 16.

Details of Kate's condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer related and that the princess wished for her personal medical information to remain private.

Her Majesty appeared in high spirits as she waved for a selfie with a member of the public 

Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer (left) accompanied the 76-year-old into the City Hall in Douglas 

While donning a pair of trendy glasses, Camilla delivered a speech on behalf of His Majesty The King

Camilla sported a glamorous yet chic makeup look for the occasion, complete with a touch of pink lipstick 

Stepping in for King Charles following his cancer diagnosis, Camilla took centre stage at today's event 

It comes after King Charles has been seen leaving Clarence House followed by Queen Camilla after days of royal conspiracy theories. 

Footage shows crowds of royal fans lined up to see the monarchs leave in their cars surrounded by security today.

One video shows Camilla smiling and waving at the public from the back seat of her car as she passes along the Mall. 

The King and Queen's appearances follow days of growing conspiracy theories regarding the Royal Family, after The Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to her favourite farm shop on Saturday. 

Kate, who has stepped away from the spotlight as she recovers from abdominal surgery, was spotted looking 'happy, healthy and relaxed' as she picked up goods from the independent store just a mile from her Adelaide Cottage home this weekend. 

Members of the council sat to listen to Her Majesty's speech, which she gave on behalf of King Charles 

Queen Camilla signed the Letters Patent, which conferred City status on the Borough of Douglas 

The royal appeared in high spirits as she greeted council members outside the City Hall with a firm handshake

School children patiently waited  for the Queen's arrival with Union Jack flags in their hands 

Crowds cheered as Camilla and the Mayor of Douglas (right) unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the conferring City status on the Borough of Douglas

After visiting the City Hall, Camilla was welcomed to Government House in Onchan, Isle of Man, to meet community groups 

While at the Government House, Camilla met with Lieutenant Governor Isle of Man, Sir John Lorimer (left) 

Her Majesty chatted with community groups and representatives from the RNLI and the Manx Bluetits swimming club

Camilla appeared interested as she chatted with a member of the RNLI swimming club outside Government House 

Her Majesty smiled for a group photograph with members of the Manx Bluetits swimming club 

But conspiracy theories are still proliferating online with some suggesting the photo is not the royal but instead a Kate Middleton lookalike. 

Online speculation has spread in recent weeks about the whereabouts of the Princess of Wales as she continues to recover from her January surgery, with palace aides saying they would not comment on her recovery.

Kensington Palace has always said the Princess would be 'unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter' - and earlier this month aides condemned the 'madness of social media' as unsubstantiated theories continued to spread.

Meanwhile, King Charles has also taken a step back from royal duties as he continues to receive treatment for cancer.  

There had been hopes the farm shop video would put to bed concerns about Kate's health and discredit the bizarre, baseless and hurtful conspiracy theories being spread about her online.

One royal source told the Telegraph: 'Finally everyone can calm down'.

However, theories continue to proliferate now that the video has been published.

Among the speculation being circulated by cruel trolls are that the Princess has died, or is using a body double or even her sister Pippa as a stand-in; unkind provocateurs have even suggested that she is in a coma or being faked with AI.

The farm shop video came just days after Kate admitted editing her own Mother's Day photo released to the public, sparking more speculation online about her whereabouts. 

The Princess of Wales took the blame for the picture being changed, which led to its withdrawal by six news agencies in the hours after it was published.