Today is Queen Camilla’s 79th birthday. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s such a strange astrological phenomenon that Camilla, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince George are all Cancers. The fact that Camilla and William share a star sign possibly explains their chaotic kinship too. Anyway, Buckingham Palace released a new portrait of Camilla for her birthday. An announcement was made as well.
A new photograph of Queen Camilla has been released to celebrate her 79th birthday. The picture, showing the Queen in a long blue dress, was taken last month in the state drawing room of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen was marking her birthday with a renewed commitment to supporting children’s literacy, with the announcement that every year 6 and P6 child across the UK will be gifted a special edition of the book Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell this Christmas.
Much of the Queen’s public work supports reading and literacy, including the creation of the Reading Room charity designed to promote the benefits of reading.
Rundell’s book will be distributed to children through schools and libraries. Each copy will contain a personal message from the Queen, who describes it as a “brilliant fantasy that will introduce you to a host of mythical friends and terrifying enemies”. The new UK book gifting and reading programme has been announced in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, which has the Queen as its patron. The programme is part of the National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to inspire the joy of reading and embed it in daily life.
One free book? Dolly Parton created a whole-ass Imagination Library where any child can get free books every month, and Camilla is giving out one free book for Christmas and that’s it? Not to look a gift horse in the mouth (heh), but Camilla could do much more. She chooses not to. What do you think her birthday plans are this year? A quiet weekend at Ray Mill, far away from Charles?
Happy Birthday to The Queen!
Her Majesty has marked her birthday with a renewed commitment to supporting children’s literacy, with the announcement that every Year 6 and P6 child across the UK will be gifted a special edition of the bestselling book ‘Impossible Creatures’… pic.twitter.com/JBzI6WMdW6
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 17, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Chris Jackson for Buckingham Palace.
