Royal watchers have come up with a theory about why Queen Camilla was seen wearing gloves during a recent public event.
On Monday, 26 May, Queen Camilla and King Charles III arrived in Canada amid rising tensions between the country — where Charles is head of state — and the United States.
The situation follows former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a trade war against Canada, along with threats to annex it as the 51st U.S. state.
Upon their arrival at Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, the royal couple was welcomed by Governor General Mary Simon, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and his wife, Diana Fox Carney.
People were quick to notice one standout detail in Camilla’s outfit — a pair of thick-looking gloves.
Fans took to social media to comment on the choice. One curious user asked, “What’s with the gloves?” Another echoed, “Why is Camilla wearing gloves?” while a third speculated, “Probably doesn’t want to get any germs from the common folks.”
Someone else suggested: “Compression gloves, she removes them later.”
Compression gloves — also known as arthritis gloves — are often used to relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling caused by conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Although neither explanation has been confirmed, theories about Camilla’s glove-wearing habits have circulated for years.
Back in 2020, she was seen wearing a similarly thick pair of gloves during an outing — and reportedly kept them on the entire time.
She also greeted other guests and staff members with handshakes — all while keeping her gloves on.
At the time, there was some speculation that Camilla chose to wear thick gloves as a precaution against Covid-19. One attendee told New Idea that she was the only one at the event wearing gloves.
“Camilla kept those damned gloves on the whole time. No one else in the whole place had gloves on, let alone ones that thick. It was really incongruous. She was shaking people’s hands with them on,” the witness said, adding that some people were murmuring about whether the 77-year-old was afraid of catching the virus.
“To be fair, it must be unhygienic to have to shake so many people’s hands, but it just looked downright bizarre,” the source added.
Of course, it’s also entirely possible that her glove-wearing was just a personal style choice — perhaps Camilla simply enjoys the look or tends to get cold hands from time to time.