Queen Camilla is celebrating her 79th birthday, and thousands of children across the country will receive a gift to mark the occasion.
Every child in Year 6 or P6 across the UK is to be given a copy of “Impossible Creatures” by Katherine Rundell. The books will reach the 10- and 11-year-olds in time for Christmas, handed out by the National Literacy Trust, of which the Queen is patron. The initiative celebrates both her birthday and the National Year of Reading in 2026.
As she marked the day, Buckingham Palace said the Queen was renewing her commitment to supporting children’s literacy. Reading has long been one of her central causes, and she has consistently championed the value of books and literature.
A new portrait
The birthday was also accompanied by a new photograph taken by Chris Jackson, in which Her Majesty appears at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. For the portrait, the Queen wears a blue dress with sapphire and diamond accessories, along with a striking butterfly-shaped brooch that reflects her commitment to nature and the environment. The piece also carries a poignant connection to Queen Elizabeth II, having been presented to the late Queen in 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee.
A quiet celebration
The Queen is expected to spend her birthday privately. The day before turning 79, she visited the Hall and Woodhouse Badger Brewery, where King Charles pulled a pint and joked that it was a good day to drown one’s sorrows, a nod to England’s defeat the previous night after the football team was knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina in the semi-finals.
Camilla was born on July 17, 1947, in London to Bruce and Rosalind Shand and was christened Camilla Rosemary in November that year. She became Queen on September 8, 2022, upon the accession of her husband as King Charles III.
