The Queen is celebrating her 79th birthday and thousands of
people are getting gifts to mark the special day.
Queen Camilla is making sure every child in Year 6 or P6 across
the UK gets a copy of the book ‘Impossible Creatures’ by Katherine
Rundell.
The gift will arrive with the 10 and 11 year olds in time for
Christmas.
These special presents will be handed out by the National
Literacy Trust of which Queen Camilla is patron as a way of
celebrating her birthday and the National Year of Reading in
2026.
As she marked her birthday, Buckingham Palace said that The
Queen was renewing her commitmennt to supporting children’s
literacy.
Getty
Queen Camilla has long been an advocate of the importance of
reading and books and literature have been one of her key
commitments.
Her birthday was also celebrated with a new portrait photo,
taken by Chris Jackson.
In it, Her Majesty is seen at home and making a nod to her love
of the colours red, white and blue together.
It was Queen Camilla who chose the patriotic trio of colours to
feature heavily in the official designs for the Coronation in May
2023.
For her birthday portrait, The Queen is wearing a blue dress
with ruby and diamond accessories. Her striking brooch is in the
shape of a butterfly, underlining her commitment to nature and the
environment.
The Queen is expected to celebrate her birthday privately. The
day before she turned 79, Her Majesty visited the Hall and
Woodhouse Badger Brewery where King Charles pulled a pint and said
it was a good day to drown sorrows – a reference to the defeat the
night before of the England football team who were knocked out of
the World Cup by Argentina in the semi finals.
Her Majesty was born on July 17 1947 in London to Bruce and
Rosalind Shand and christened Camilla Rosemary in November that
year. She became Queen on September 8 2022 on the accession of her
husband as King Charles III.
