Queen Camilla was all smiles last night when she hosted a fabulous evening at Clarence House. The royal, 76, arrived at the historic venue looking so elegant in her second royal blue outfit of the day.
The King's wife hosted a reception in aid of the Booker Prize Foundation. She was seen wearing a breathtaking cobalt Fiona Clare coat dress which featured an open rounded neck that came down into fastening detail to the waist. The piece also had long sleeves and was form-fitting down into a flattering flare skirt.
As is often the way with Her Majesty, accessories were crucial to the glamorous look, and layering of pieces is something Camilla excels at. She was seen wearing multiple bracelets – a Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage 'Alhambra 5 Motif' bracelet in 18-carat yellow gold and blue agate. She added a 'Sweet Alhambra Heart' bracelet by the same brand but mixed her metals with the 18-carat rose gold and carnelian number.
© GettyCamilla also layered her necklaces – two for fashion's sake and a third with a personal touch. She wore a Kiki McDonough 'Apollo' mini blue topaz and diamond pendant stacked with an uber-trendy Monica Vinader 'Goddess Coin Pendant'. The mother-of-two then layered a gold-plated pendant with a ruby detail, her own birthstone, and the initials of her five grandchildren – Lola, 16, Eliza, 15, Louis and Gus, both 14 and Freddy, 13.
The Queen completed the look with her signature bouncy blowdry and matte rosy lip. Though not a common occurrence for a reception, Camilla also wore a pair of black suede knee-high boots, we can assume the same pair she wore with a bottle green Fiona Clare coat dress when she visited the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey earlier this month.
© GettyPoet and novelist Sir Ben Okri gave a speech at the event. The writer whose own book won the Booker Prize in 1991 said: "She sets a very good public example, she makes reading sexy, and makes it appealable to the public, and makes it something that you ought to do.
"It’s very, very important, reading, literacy needs all the help it can get," he added. He said Camilla "champions the rights of writers to write freely and unfettered, for a fairy tale is not an unreal fact, taking place in a real world. It is a transformative act taking place in a resistant world."
© GettyCamilla, a keen reader and a patron of The National Literacy Agency, gave a speech herself and was asked to look after the Booker Prize trophy ahead of the presentation ceremony on Sunday.
"I just wanted to say thank you to all the writers who enhance our life, we couldn’t do without you all," she told the room. "I’ve always said reading is an escapism, whatever is happening in your life, and if you feel it’s difficult to cope with, you can pick up a book and just go off into another world.
© Getty"So if it wasn’t for all of you, and all the publishers, and all the agents that help you put your books on the map, it would be a very sad world," she said.
The Booker Prize is one of the world’s leading literary awards. It recognises the talent of writers from around the globe and has been won by household names like Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, and Sir Salman Rushdie.
© GettyThe works of this year's six finalists range in theme from immigration and political extremism to erosion of personal freedom and grief.
DISCOVER: King Charles and Queen Camilla lead royal family at glittering state banquet - best photos
Queen Camilla wowed in royal blue earlier in the day when she was seen during the formal farewell to the president of South Korea at the end of his state visit outside Buckingham Palace. The royal wore a coat dress again by Fiona Clare with covered button detailing, an Anna Valentine x Charles Laurie black leather bag, and coordinating Eliot Zed 'Serra' black pumps.
