Prince Charles' wife made some colourful new friends when she paid a visit to St Alban's Cathedral in Hertfordshire this week. The Duchess was greeted by a throng of excited schoolchildren, all wearing vibrant homemade costumes, as she arrived for a traditional pageant on Thursday afternoon.
The 58-year-old has been keeping a relatively low profile in recent weeks, but she was given an appropriately enthusiastic welcome upon her return to public duties. Indeed one local girl made a positively angelic impression on the guest of honour when she appeared, complete with burning yellow halo and wings, to present her with a rose.
Camilla's encounter with the youngsters of St Albans was by no means her only memorable meeting of the day, however, as she also came face to face with some furry fellows while taking a tour of a nearby veterinary college.
The royal, who is well-known for her love of all creatures great and small, was particularly taken with a three-year-old Springer spaniel called Frodo which had made a dramatic recovery after being discovered completely paralysed at its home.
"He doesn't look very paralysed to me," said the royal visitor as the pooch ran about wagging his tail. "He doesn't seem to be doing too badly at all - it's absolutely incredible." The animal's recovery has made him something of a celebrity, with five million people tuning in to watch his progress on the BBC's Super Vets series. "It is so wonderful to see the end result," added Camilla. "He is obviously very used to being a bit of a star."