Queen Camille delighted audience during a popular literary event in London when she appeared surprised to read a moving letter written by the Queen Mother.
Camilla, 79, walked onto the stage at Letters Live at the Royal Festival Hall – an event known for its mysterious line-up of stars reading from real correspondence – to cheers, cheers and deafening applause from the audience.
Olivia Colmanwho was among the celebrity readers later congratulated the Queen and told her she had ‘done a great job’ after Camilla admitted she had a bit of stage fright.
During the break in the artists’ bar, the 52-year-old Crown actress, who read three letters during the show, told Camilla: ‘You did a great job. I love that they’re keeping a secret about who comes out. Did you hear the shock when they heard it was you?’
The Queen admitted to Elaine Bedell, general manager of the Southbank Centre, where the venue is based, that she was ‘terrified’ before reading.
King Charles‘s wife looked radiant in a blue Fiona Clare dress as she took her place behind the lectern. She completed her outfit with turquoise and diamond earrings.
Speaking to Olivia, Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter – who introduced readers on stage – the Queen said after the evening’s performances: “You were all so amazing.”
The Sherlock actor told the Queen: “It’s a long walk to that lectern, but once you get there it’s a beautiful audience.”
Queen Camilla delighted the audience at a packed literary event in London when she made a surprise appearance to read a moving letter written by the Queen Mother
Celebrity reader Olivia Colman later congratulated the Queen and told her she had ‘done a great job’ after Camilla admitted she had a bit of stage fright.
Camilla read a letter from the late Queen Mother to poet Edith Sitwell, thanking Mrs Sitwell for sending her an anthology of poems to help her mourn the death of her husband, King George VI.
In the note, dated September 15, 1952, the Queen Mother – Charles’ maternal grandmother – told how she found solace in the poems as she mourned the King, who had died in February.
Camilla, an avid reader who emphasizes the importance of literacy in much of her work, read to the captivated audience of hundreds, saying: “My dear Mrs. Sitwell, it was so kind of you to send me a copy of your beautiful book.
‘It gives me the greatest pleasure, and I took it with me and began to read it, sitting by the river, and it was a day when one felt engulfed in great black clouds of unhappiness and misery.
“I felt a kind of peace creep into my heart as I read such beautiful poems and heavenly words.”
The letter Camilla read read as follows: ‘I am deeply touched by the thought you have of me, I love receiving books, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to you.
“I am yours, most sincerely, Elizabeth R.”
Also reading were comedians Sara Pascoe and Sindhu Vee, TV lawyer Rob Rinder and actors Daniel Kaluuya and Simon Callow. The audience was also treated to performances by rock band Elbow and folk duo The Staves.
Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch also met the Queen during the performance last night
Sophie Hunter, wife of Benedict Cumberbatch, introduced Letters Live readers
Queen Camilla meets (from left to right) Anoushka Shankar, Sara Pascoe, Sindhu Vee, Laurence Fishburne and Dame Harriet Walter at the Royal Festival Hall in London
Most readers were wearing wireless headphone microphones – and Camilla joked that she was ‘angry’ that she wasn’t allowed to wear one.
“Maybe they didn’t dare admit you,” Sara joked.
The event was held in support of the National Literacy Trust, of which the Queen is a patron.
Founded in London in 2013, Letters Live has taken place in New York, Berlin and even the Glastonbury Festival, with recordings of some of the talks going viral online.
It has brought letters from people as diverse as David Bowie and Charlotte Brontë to the stage.
Camilla has been on back-to-back engagements this week after the royal family’s summer holiday at Balmoral came to an end and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to Britain.
She has it on Wednesday visited the Ebony Riding Club charity in Brixton, South Londonafter the Royal Mews loaned it one of Queen Elizabeth’s beloved ponies.
Taylor, a 17-year-old black mare who accompanied Queen Elizabeth on daily outings with her primary caretaker Terry Pendry, is one of two horses that children at the riding school can now enjoy.
The mare moved to Brixton along with a former carriage horse called Margate, affectionately known as Maggie.
Maggie, a Cleveland Bay, bred at Hampton Court and raised as a carriage horse, worked at the Royal Mews until after the Coronation.
An injury left her unable to pull carriages, but after a three-year break she has also been loaned to the charity and the two are now used to teach local children and young people how to ride and care for horses.
Avid equestrian Queen Camilla is patron of the charity and visited it yesterday and praised it as ‘bigger and better’ than ever.
‘Where are my polos?’ she smiled as she was introduced to both animals, stopping to pet them, pet them and offer them the treats.
The Queen was shown in the centre’s stables, where the bars separating the horses have been partially removed to allow them to socialize more.
Camilla, who wore a white animal print dress by Fiona Clare, then met year six pupils from Corpus Christi Primary School in Brixton Hill who have been taking part in the centre’s school program where they learned horse riding, grooming and mucking out stables.
Headteacher Jean Connery told her: “It’s great for the children. They would never get the chance to do this and it is so good for their self-confidence. We are fortunate to have this on our doorstep.”
The Queen, who opened the center 25 years ago, also met volunteers who have helped create a new community space under a former railway arch and are training others to volunteer with the horses and community groups.
“It’s such a beautiful place, you all must get so much satisfaction out of it,” she said.
Later, Camilla watched as Adam Bentallah, 12, and Isaiah Clayton, 16, gave a riding demonstration on Taylor and Maggie in the arena.
She then presented them both with trophies in recognition of their hard work and dedication.
She presented one to Isaiah, calling him a “star rider” and telling Adam that his award was “very well deserved.”
There was laughter when dogs in the neighborhood started barking loudly, and she told the schoolboy, “Even the dogs are applauding you.”
She said of the club, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year: “It gets bigger and better every time. The first time I came here it was literally a field and a few stables.”
Jason Hawkes, 17, who has been attending the club as a rider and volunteer for eight years, presented the Queen with a bouquet of flowers.
He said afterwards: ‘What it has done for me is incredible. It has given me freedom and opened my eyes to the world. There are so many other things you can do. It’s good to get away from city life for a while.’
By accessing horses, the charity is working to improve the lives of some of the most disadvantaged children and young people aged eight to 18 in the area.
