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.
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.
