Queen Camilla is celebrating her 79th birthday today, July 17, 2026, with Buckingham Palace releasing a new portrait and announcing a major literacy initiative. The photograph, taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson in the State Drawing Room at Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, shows the Queen in a dark blue dress accessorized with a diamond and sapphire butterfly brooch originally presented to Queen Elizabeth II at the Birmingham Spring Fair in February 1977.
Birthday Celebrations and Royal Wishes
The Royal Family shared the image on Instagram with birthday wishes, later echoed by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The portrait also accompanies news of a nationwide book-gifting program in partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT), of which Camilla is Patron.
Christmas Book Gift for Every Year 6 Child
Every Year 6 and P6 child across the UK will receive a special edition of Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures this Christmas. The book includes a personal message from the Queen, stating: "Impossible Creatures, by one of my favourite writers, is a brilliant fantasy that will introduce you to a host of mythical friends and terrifying enemies… and I hope that you will love it as much as I do." The initiative celebrates the National Year of Reading 2026.
The books will be distributed through schools and libraries, with free resources, and the NLT will also target hospitals, care settings, refuges, and food banks in disadvantaged communities to ensure all eligible children have access. Author Katherine Rundell said: "I'm so immensely honoured that Her Majesty The Queen has chosen Impossible Creatures as her Christmas Gift to every child in Year 6. Her gift is given at the best possible time. I'm thrilled to be part of a project which has at its heart the power of shared stories and shared ideas."
Camilla's Lifelong Passion for Reading
Literacy has been a central focus of the Queen's charitable work. She launched the Queen's Reading Room in January 2021, which recommends monthly reads and offers exclusive content. Camilla has described it as "a resource, a reassurance and a refuge to all book lovers." She previously said: "If you learn to read, however difficult your life is at the time, you can pick up a book and you can escape. You can laugh, you can cry, it just takes you out of the real world, and it gives you a different dimension to life."
Public Standing and Royal Dedication
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond praised Camilla's transformation from a controversial figure to a respected royal. Bond told OK! magazine: "I remember so well the years when Camilla was kept in the shadows - what she went through would have broken any weaker woman. But she always had two factors in her favour: an unshakeable love for Charles and an ability to rise above the criticism and get on with life. And now she has won the respect and affection of many people in this country, and is thriving as a result."
