Queen Camilla Pays Tribute to Her Late Mother-in-Law Queen Elizabeth: 'So Greatly Missed'
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Kirsty O'Connor - Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla
Queen Camilla is praising her "remarkable" mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen Consort paid tribute to the late monarch and said she and King Charles III had received great "comfort" from the messages of condolence that have been made around the world.
The comments came as Camilla, 75, hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for young writers on Thursday. The talented writers were rewarded for their entrants to the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition. As they gathered, Queen Camilla used the occasion to talk about the woman in whose name the contest was created.
"I cannot begin without paying tribute to my dear mother-in-law, Her late Majesty, who is much in our thoughts today and who is so greatly missed by us all," Camilla told the competition winners. "Throughout her remarkable reign, its vision to improve the lives and prospects of all Commonwealth citizens remained, as you know, very close to her heart."
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Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty From left: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth in June 2022.
She thanked the wider world for the good wishes and condolences that she and the royal family have received since the Queen died at Balmoral on Sept. 8.
"Over the past few months, my husband and I have drawn immense comfort from the messages of condolence that we have received, and continue to receive, from the four corners of the world," she added. "They have reminded us that the written word has a unique ability to connect, to heal, to reassure and to offer hope, even in the midst of grief."
Kirsty O'Connor - Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla
Camilla also reminded of another great Elizabeth — Queen Elizabeth I — who came to the throne on this day, Nov. 17, in 1558. "She once said of herself that, while she was aware of the merits of the monarchs who had preceded her, 'You never had any that will love you better.' A description that might just as well apply to Queen Elizabeth II and her enduring love for the Commonwealth."
The Commonwealth brings together 54 nations with links to the U.K. (Camilla described it as "this wonderful, extraordinary, richly diverse association of independent and equal nations, and friends"), and it was the late president of one of those countries that Camilla turned to for an inspirational message: Nelson Mandela. Mandela, who as President of South Africa was a guest of the late Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2004, was "a man who understood the power of language," Camilla said.
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Kirsty O'Connor - Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla and former Spice Girl Geri Horner
"He had lost the liberty to fight against the unnatural evils of apartheid, and it was in prison that, over the course of 27 years, he wrote speeches and letters that would change his country, his continent and the globe forever," she told her guests. "Mandela was a great writer. He was also described as 'a man of the Commonwealth,' famously saying, on entering Marlborough House, "the Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity. The Commonwealth, like writing, touches the whole world."
After her speech, excerpts from some of the winning pieces were read by Royal Commonwealth Society Ambassadors. including singer and actress Alexandra Burke, actress Ayesha Dharker and former Spice Girl Geri Horner. Gyles Brandreth, who is an RCS Ambassador and friend of the Queen Consort welcomed Camilla with a kiss as he introduced her to the winners.
Paul Grover/AP/Shutterstock Mikhail Baryshnikov and Queen Camilla
Thursday's event marked Queen Camilla's second solo reception at the palace in as many days. On Wednesday, she honored dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award for his contributions to the art.
Next week, Queen Camilla and King Charles, 74, will be back at the palace, welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife for the first state visit of the new reign.
