How big is it?

Ah, that is a nice pink camellia but you did not say
where you are, how big is it or what UDSA Zone are you in so these are general comments.

A word of caution first: I am located in hot Texas and, with very few exceptions, I typically do not
plant camellias, azaleas and-or hydrangeas on the west side as they get too much
heat exposure during the summer. This heat exposure, in camellias, may have
aborted Cleopatra's flower buds by encouraging shoot growth and causing the plant to
drop its flower buds... maybe

You should be able to investigate this further (either in the current Fall or in next year's) by determining if
the problem is that the camellia is not developing flower buds (in which case
something happened in the late summer months or early Fall months when it is supposed to be developing the buds) or if the problem is that the camellia developed flower buds
and then it (a) aborted them (in which case something happened closer to the
Fall and its blooming time) and they fell to the ground or (b) they just
disappeared (probably were eaten if they "disappeared").

Examples of causes of no bloom issues are: temperatures that fluctuate
a lot up and down and make the camellia abort the buds; too much heat in the summer... that can make the shrub trigger shoot growth instead so it then drops the flower buds; camellia bud mite
infestations can also cause the flower buds to drop; inconsistent watering can prevent development of flower buds or can cause bud drop (the
soil dried out too much; then it got water; the soil dried too much again, etc) so this requires keeping the soil as evenly moist -not wet- as
possible. Some ways: with the aid of more water per watering, more frequent but deeper waterings, less
sun exposure or more mulch; pests can eat flower buds so, if you find flower
buds and then they are gone and not found on the ground, look for pests like
deer, squirrels and bunnies. And camellia bud mites. But obviously, some of these animals -bunnies- are unable to
eat ALL the blooms (and you get a few blooms in selected plant locations and nothing in other locations) so,
weather issues -it got too hot- may be what probably happened.

The best way to validate this would be to keep and eye on the plant from the time that it develops the flower buds until they are supposed to open. Or keep and eye to see if they (the buds) do not develop. Make notes in a calendar for next year.

Just a fyi: unusual weather in some years sometimes delays development of flower buds. It also sometimes delays opening of flower buds. So maybe, just maybe, you may still get some flower buds this year. Just later than you expect. Here is knocking on wood for that!!!!

My Fall Bloomers are just getting started here in zone 7a. Maybe half of my varieties are blooming. By the way, are there any buds on your Cleopatra?

It is about 4ft. tall and it has buds on it. I am in zone 7b.it gets sun most of the day even though it is on the west side of the house.

Good to know you have flower buds!!!! Make a note on a wall calendar indicating when you noticed the flower buds and pass this info into next year's calendar so you will have an idea when to expect flower buds from now on. You can do the same with an electronic calendar....

To prevent issues, keep an eye on the flower buds, on potential pests that eat flower buds and also keep an eye on the soil moisture (keep the soil as evenly moist as possible with no very dry periods). Other causes of bud drop include wildly gyrating temperatures. Not much one can do about that except for covering the plants, mulching and watering before big expected temp drops.

Since I don't know your level of garden expertise, I will ask if the buds you see are leaf buds or flower buds? If you have no flower buds on a camellia, a leaf bud may be mistaken for a flower bud by someone with little experience with camellias.

If you have flower buds, let's hope you will soon have flowers also. Sometimes a camellia will take a year or so before it's ready to flower. It may be trying to establish its root system first.

If bud drop is a problem, your plant may need mulching to help prevent moisture loss. If you have critters eating the buds, that another can of worms...

Good luck with your 'Cleopatra'; that's a lovely variety.

Virginia