Camilla was brought to tears at the conclusion of her and her husband’s 11-day royal tour of Australia and Samoa, with some sources suggesting a rather heartbreaking reason behind her emotion.

It’s not only tradition that expects senior Royal Family members to keep their emotions under control in public; it’s essentially part of their protocol. As part of the elder generation of royals, Camilla is typically as composed as figures like King Charles, Princess Anne, and the late Queen Elizabeth.

However, the 77-year-old couldn’t hold back her tears during a farewell ceremony in the village of Siumu, Samoa, as Charles – who has been facing a battle with cancer throughout this year – gave a touching speech after being honored with a title meaning “paramount chief.”

RadarOnline reports that the reason for Camilla’s rare display of raw emotion is that the Queen Consort is beginning to face the reality that her husband’s time as king may be limited.

To clarify, there has been no official confirmation that Charles’s cancer condition has worsened, nor any indication that the 76-year-old – who waited longer to take the throne than any previous heir-apparent in British history – is starting to face serious health difficulties.

That being said, the critical facts remain that Charles has been dealing with an undisclosed type of cancer since February, and there has been minimal information about the success or failure of his treatments.

Why was Camilla crying?

Speculation has naturally filled the gaps where concrete information is lacking, and some suggest that Camilla’s tears at the end of her and Charles’ latest trip might carry significant meaning.

“I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back again and see you,” Charles stated during his speech in Samoa. “We shall take away with us, I promise you, very special memories of our time here.”