On our birthdays, most of us would usually expect to receive presents to mark the occasion. But, today (Friday 17 July), Queen Camilla revealed that she’ll be the one handing out gifts as she celebrates turning 79.
In a post on social media, the Queen announced she would be gifting children across the UK a special edition of a best-selling book, which they’ll recieve as a Christmas present. Every child in Year 6 and P6 in the UK will be given a copy of Impossible Creatures by award-winning author Katherine Rundell. The novel is the first of a best-selling series and follows an epic adventure of two children to transform the world, after Christopher meets Mal on a group of magical, other-worldly islands.
The post also included a portrait of Her Majesty in a long sleeve blue midi dress, which she accessorised with what looks like, at first glance, a butterfly-shaped brooch. In fact, it’s actually a moth. The piece is studded with diamonds which surround four stunning blue sapphires. The brooch is part of the Queen’s personal collection, and she’s thought to have owned it since the mid-2000s.
Queen Camilla has worn the brooch on a number of occasions in the past (most recently during a trip to Northern Ireland), and usually on outfits in the same shade of royal blue.
Chris Jackson
Queen Camilla in Northern Ireland wearing the brooch, in May.
On her wrist, the Queen also wears her Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra bracelet; a luxury jewellery brand with a distinctive emblem inspired by the four leaf clover. The Princess of Wales also owns pieces in the collection, and wore a pair of the earrings for her visit to Wimbledon last week. Kate was wearing the 18k gold and mother-of-pearl Magic Alhambra earrings, which can be bought online for £6,300 – quite the investment piece!
Karwai Tang
Both Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales attended Wimbledon this year, with Kate making three visits in total. On the final weekend, she presented trophies to the men’s and women’s singles winners and, on the last day, brought Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte along with her.