Camilla proves she’s the queen of good cheer as she serves up bangers and mash (with a broccoli crown!) and pets reindeer alongside Santa at the Clarence House party for seriously ill children
You’d expect gourmet dishes on silver platters at a typical royal banquet, but today Queen Camilla hosted a more down-to-earth celebration where she served plates of bangers and mash and pots of sweets to her guests.
The royal family, together with Santa Claus, kicked off the holidays in a fun way at Clarence House during a reception for seriously ill children.
The Royal, 76, each year invites children supported by two of its charities, Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvelous Children’s Charity, to the very special event at the official residence.
The little ones are treated like royalty that day and help decorate the tree.
For an extra special treat, they were visited not only by the Royal Family, but also by Santa Claus, who shook Camilla’s hand and leaned over, greeting her as ‘Your Majesty’.
Britain’s Queen Camilla poses with a man dressed as Santa Claus as she invited children, supported by Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvelous Children’s Charity, to decorate the Christmas tree and receive a few festive surprises at Clarence House
The Queen helps a child as they decorate a Christmas tree together at Clarence House
Queen Camilla invited children, supported by Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvelous Children’s Charity, to a party at Clarence House, where they got to pet some of Santa’s reindeer
The Queen proved she’s a good sport by serving sausage and mash with a broccoli crown – which looked quite similar to hers
The Queen was equally cordial, saying “Santa, I spy” before meeting any children.
Clarence House looked beautifully festive, with an extravagant Christmas tree adorned with delicate ornaments.
Adjutant Major Ollie Plunket further decorated the tree and placed a decoration with his sword – a Christmas tradition that takes place every year at Clarence House.
Among the excited young guests was a girl named Dotty, who gave Camilla a handmade Christmas card.
In the dining room of Clarence House, Dotty and other children enjoyed a lunch of sausages, mash and other sweet treats.
Two reindeer, Dancer and Blitzen, were outside in the royal garden waiting for the children after they had finished.
Camilla was a natural with the reindeer and kept them very happy as she fed them from her hand.
It comes amid a busy time for the royal family, and last night the king led his family in a show of unity this evening after a tumultuous week of royal revelations.
Joined by Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles, 75, welcomed more than 500 dignitaries to Buckingham Palace for the glittering annual diplomatic reception.
Queen Camilla greeted Santa Claus at Clarence House earlier today. The Queen said ‘Santa, I spy’ before meeting children
The wife of King Charles III greeted Santa Claus with a firm handshake before chatting with other guests
The four most senior members of the British royal family posed for a photo together before the white tie and tiaras event.
Her Majesty looked regal in a cream embroidered evening dress by Fiona Clare and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Kate looked equally elegant in a glittering Jenny Packham dress and her favorite Lover’s Knot Tiara.
The reception celebrated the presence in London of one of the largest diplomatic corps in the world and saw Their Majesties meet representatives of countries accredited to the Court of St. James.
Tonight’s royal display of unity will be seen as a sign of loneliness following the furor of Omid Scobie’s new book after it emerged that a Dutch version contained the names of two relatives accused by the Duchess of Sussex of ‘unconscious bias’ .
The book on the monarchy claims that Prince Harry’s wife Meghan, 42, had mentioned the king himself, as well as his daughter-in-law Kate, 41, in letters she wrote to him about the matter.
An equerry used the point of his sword to lift decorations and help the children decorate the Christmas tree with the help of a young guest
Adjutant Major Ollie Pinkett looked very pleased as he managed to place the decoration on the tree with the point of his sword
Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly, but aides have made it clear that the king and his senior advisers are “considering all options” open to them regarding the baseless claims, including the possibility of legal action.
However, they are comforted by the sympathetic public response they have received to the ‘revelations’ in the poorly reviewed book and may decide to let that speak for itself.
For tonight’s event, Kate wore a stunning gold ‘Georgia’ dress by Jenny Packham, which cost around £5,000 and was embellished with sequins.
She previously wore the design to the wedding reception of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa in June 2023.
The Princess wore her favorite Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, a wedding gift for Princess Diana. She also wore the Royal Family Order and completed her outfit with Her Majesty’s beautiful Greville diamond chandelier earrings.
Camilla seemed very happy when she received a bright yellow Christmas card, handmade by a young girl called Dotty
Dotty seemed particularly pleased after Camilla thanked her for her festive handmade creation
Camilla, 76, meanwhile, gave a dazzling performance in a cream embroidered evening dress by Fiona Clare.
To add to the glamour, Her Majesty wore the Tiara of the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the Garter Sash and the Star in Family Order over the dress.
Camilla added a touch of sentiment with the Queen Mother’s diamond brooch and the late Queen’s diamond bracelet.
Tonight’s event saw the King, his heir and their wives greet the great and good of the diplomatic corps – ambassadors, high commissioners and the like officially registered with the Court of St. James’ – for a pre-Christmas drinks in the State Rooms from Buckingham Palace. .
As head of state, the King plays a crucial role in British diplomacy and supports the work of the Foreign Office at home and abroad.
The event will also have been the first time the King has been able to speak to his son and daughter-in-law in person since the latest row surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex broke out.
Sources have told the Mail that the family will be in “no rush” to make a “carefully considered” decision on how to proceed.
Earlier in the day they were also on their way on a series of assignments. William surprised shoppers when he was spotted selling copies of The Big Issue at a Tesco in Hammersmith, West London.
The prince was reunited with magazine salesman Dave, who he has met several times and even exchanged Christmas cards.
Salesman Dave Martin told Mail Online: ‘William came over in the morning and helped me sell some magazines. He’s a very nice man.
‘It was a nice gesture to help me sell the magazines. It’s very good that he helps the homeless. You can tell he does it because he cares.”
Meanwhile, his wife met a little girl whose space-themed designs for a new pediatric surgery unit were inspired by her late father, who she says has now “gone to the stars.”
The princess chatted to nine-year-old Ella Moth, who won a competition to design the artwork for the new ward at the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London.
She was inspired by the tragic death of her father Piers, who died of brain cancer in 2021.
The Princess, patron of Evelina London, asked Ella: ‘How does it feel to have your design on the wall for other children to enjoy and be a source of inspiration for many other children? Ella replied: ‘I didn’t think this would ever happen!’
The new facility, which cost £55 million to build, will allow children to be treated in one location on the same day, reducing the stress caused by numerous hospital visits.