Queen Camilla says the King, who is being treated for cancer, is doing “very well” as she greeted crowds on a visit to Northern Ireland.

The King has been absent from public duties since January while he is treated for an unspecified form of cancer, leaving the Queen and heir-to-the-throne Prince William to be the public faces of the royal family.

The Queen, 76, joked with 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, she 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,” the Queen said: “I try to keep him in order”.

The Queen, who loves books and has set up a reading charity, will attend an event later on Thursday celebrating Northern Ireland’s literary history, at Hillsborough Castle, hosted by poet Paul Muldoon.

Last month she said the King was “doing extremely well under the circumstances”.

The King and Queen have been out and about this week, meeting people and carrying out charity work, holding the fort for the royal family while another of its star players, Kate, Princess of Wales, also recuperates from a major health issue.

Queen Camilla told workers in a bakery that a small boy was “a natural for the cameras”. Photo: AAP

Leave Kate alone: Labour leader

British Labour leader says people should “butt out” and allow the princess privacy while she recovers from her abdominal surgery.

Starmer told Channel 5 he was speaking “as a human being” rather than as a politician when he expressed his view that Kate deserved privacy following her surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.

For weeks she has been the centre of online rumours. Her apology last for editing a photo taken by her husband William of her and her three children only sparked further intrigue.

British newspapers such as The Sun have run stories calling for an end to the wild, ongoing speculation.

Asked whether he felt sorry for Kate, Starmer said: “Yes, I think that we should leave her alone. She’s had a difficult operation and she deserves privacy.

“As a human being that we should just butt out and leave her alone … It’s a human response.”

Since her surgery, Kate’s office has stuck to its official line that the princess is recovering well and that it will provide only significant updates, in keeping with the royal mantra of “never complain, never explain”.

Kate was last seen when The Sun published a video on its website showing the smiling Princess of Wales walking and carrying shopping bags alongside husband Prince William at a farm shop near their home on the Windsor Castle estate.

On Wednesday, Britain’s data watchdog said it was looking into a report that staff at the London hospital where Kate had her surgery had attempted to access her private health records.

Kate is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter, following abdominal surgery in January.

-AAP with PA