Queen Camilla smiling at Fielding Primary School© Doug Seeburg/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

Queen Camilla makes touching return to royal duties after family reunion

Her Majesty stepped out for an extra special outing…

August 29, 2023

Queen Camilla made a return to her royal duties on Tuesday after spending time with her husband King Charles and other family members at Balmoral. 

Her first visit back was one very close to her heart as she stepped out at Fielding Primary School in Ealing in aid of her close friend Gyles Brandreth's The Poetry Together initiative. The special programme was launched in 2019 in partnership with Dukes Education and National Poetry Day.

Giles Brandreth alongside Queen Camilla© Doug Seeburg/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
Giles started the initiative in 2019

The scheme sees school pupils and older people - many of whom are care home residents - brought together to learn the same poem for their 'Poetry Together' tea party, during which they recite the poem together before sitting down to share a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Queen Camilla presented a slew of certificates and watched impressive recitals during her visit. She also brought a special cake to the pupils which was baked at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty also opened the school's brand-new library. 

© Doug Seeburg/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
Camilla cut a cake on stage with Alice and the Mad Hatter

Queen Camilla was seen beaming as she cut into a delicious-looking cake alongside the iconic storybook characters, Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Literature is incredibly important to Her Majesty. In 2021, she set up The Queen's Reading Room, which, according to the official website is: "A charity working to provide opportunities for the appreciation of literature among adults and children in the UK and around the world."

© Doug Seeburg/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
Her Majesty presented certificates

"To me, reading is a great adventure, I have loved it since I was very small and I would love everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do. You can escape, and you can travel, and you can laugh and you can cry. Every type of emotion which humans experience is in a book," Camilla said of her love for books. 

The special visit comes just after the Queen was spotted enjoying the final weeks of summer at their Scottish residence, Balmoral.

© Getty
King Charles III and Queen Camillia arrive at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, for a Sunday church service.

They were joined by Princess Eugenie and her children, August, two, and baby Ernest. Princess Beatrice also headed down to the highland abode with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and their family. 

The beautiful residence which was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, spans around 50,000 acres, boasting an impeccable landscape of mountains, rivers, lochs, woodland, and gardens.

Whilst they spent their time together in private, The King and Queen were spotted at Crathie Kirk attending a Sunday service.

More Royalty

See more