The Duchess of Cornwall raised her teacup to the world of poetry – and shared her Nutella Victoria Sponge cake recipe – when she joined children and care home residents for a great cause.
Camilla, who is a strong supporter of literacy and writing-related organisations, participated in the Poetry Together recital on 10 November at the Royal Geographical Society. The event brought students and care home residents together to memorise the same poem, which they recited for the Duchess of Cornwall before enjoying tea and Camilla’s special sponge cake.
The Duchess of Cornwall posted the recipe for her Victoria Sponge on the Clarence House Instagram account in September 2021, sharing the news that the Poetry Together tea parties would be returning following the cancellation of 2020’s events.
The organisation was founded by broadcaster, actor, and former British MP Gyles Brandreth in 2019, working with Dukes Education and National Poetry Day to connect schools and care homes across the UK. This year was the first time the students and pensioners have been able to meet in person since the tea parties launched in 2019.
The Duchess of Cornwall, who serves as patron of the Royal Society of Literature, has been a supporter of Poetry Together from its start. She recited the poem “Matilda” by Hilaire Belloc during the event’s inaugural poetry recital in 2019 at Eaton Square Upper School. Brandreth told the Daily Express in a 2019 interview that Camilla “loves the idea and has a lot of poems in her head, too.”
More than 150 schools and care homes signed up for the 2021 event, which launched on National Poetry Day, 7 October. Brandreth shared on the Poetry Together website that while children enjoy learning and reciting poetry, it proves to be extremely beneficial to adults, too, and “can help keep dementia at bay.”
