The Queen has celebrated her 79th birthday with the release of a new portrait taken at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.
Camilla wore an elegant blue dress by Fiona Clare for the image, which was captured last month in the State Drawing Room by royal photographer Chris Jackson. Jackson also photographed the Queen for her 78th birthday portrait.
In a subtle tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, the King’s wife chose a diamond and sapphire butterfly brooch. The piece was presented to the late monarch at the Birmingham Spring Fair in February 1977.
The Queen completed the look with one of her favourite pieces of jewellery: a blue agate and 18-carat yellow gold Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet, valued at around £4,250.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were among those marking the occasion, sending the Queen a “very happy birthday” message on Instagram.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Northern Ireland in May, where they hosted a lavish garden party at Hillsborough Castle, the monarchy’s official residence in the country.
To coincide with her birthday, Camilla also reaffirmed her commitment to improving children’s literacy. It was announced that every Year 6 and P6 child across the UK will receive a special edition of Impossible Creatures, the bestselling book by award-winning author Katherine Rundell, this Christmas.
The initiative will be delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, of which Her Majesty is Patron.
The Queen has marked her 79th birthday today with a new portrait, taken at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland
The Queen, who is known for repurposing her outfits, also wore the sapphire dress when she bid adieu to Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on the final day of their state visit to the UK in June 2024.
Last year’s birthday portrait showed Camilla beaming in the sunshine at Ray Mill – the Queen’s private residence in Wiltshire.
In that photo, Camilla was seen cuddling her sweet rescue dog, Jack Russell-cross Moley, as she donned a striking maxi dress that she also wore for the final day of the King and Queen’s state visit to Kenya in 2023.
Camilla’s birthday portrait comes after the King and Queen secretly hosted Harry, Meghan and their two children at Highgrove in a long-awaited meeting.
It took place at the monarch’s private Gloucestershire residence, a short drive from both Oxfordshire, where Charles had been undertaking official engagements, and Birmingham, where the Duke of Sussex was at a public event.
The get-together was organised amid a shroud of secrecy and a blaze of briefing to the media.
Charles had not seen California-dwelling Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet since 2022, when they were just three and one.
He had last saw Harry, 41, in September but last week was forced to very publicly slap his son down after his PR team falsely briefed that he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the UK this week.
In fact, after weeks of refusing his father’s invitation, he accepted too late.
The Queen 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 by award-winning author Katherine Rundell
The programme will be delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, of which Her Majesty is Patron. The Queen is seen here greeting children during an event for the charity
The Queen has been a patron of the National Literacy Trust since 2010
Harry arrived in the UK last week on Monday. The following day he lost his High Court case alleging wrong-doing by Associated Newspapers, the publishers of the Daily Mail, and started the year-long countdown to his Invictus Games days later.
On the eve of her birthday, Camilla joined Charles for a day of engagements in Dorset after England’s dramatic World Cup exit.
The King said it’s a good day to ‘drown a few sorrows’ as he pulled a pint at the Hall & Woodhouse Badger Brewery the day after England captain Harry Kane and his teammates lost their semi-final match 2-1 to Argentina.
Aided by Camilla, the King poured a pint of Fursty Ferret, a bestseller with the family-owned brewery based in the town of Blandford near Poole, Dorset.
Before tasting the 3.4 per cent popular ale, the King said with a wry smile: ‘Maybe it’s a good day to drown a few sorrows.’
The country is reeling after the last-gasp defeat for England manager Thomas Tuchel’s players, with many fans likely to be nursing post-match hangovers, despite the loss.
Charles and Camilla toured the brewery, which celebrates its 250th anniversary next year, met brewing and chef apprentices, and watched as the trainee cooks competed in a MasterChef-style competition.
Founded in 1777 by Charles Hall, a Dorset farmer who began brewing beer from his excess grain, today the company produces more than nine million pints of beer every year, employs more than 1,500 people and runs around 140 pubs across the south of England.
At one point, the King chatted to Paul Barnett, the brewery’s finance director, about the impact of the World Cup on business, which has predominantly food-led pubs that do not have screens or show the football.
Mr Barnett told the King: ‘I’m quite relieved we’re out of the football because we don’t make so much money.’
Earlier this month, the Queen held an audience with Harry Potter creator JK Rowling at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
The pair were pictured smiling and standing side-by-side as they discussed the importance of young people’s access to books.
A post on the monarchy’s official social media read: ‘With a shared passion for books and a deep commitment to children reading for pleasure, The Queen and author J.K. Rowling have met at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
‘Her Majesty and Ms Rowling discussed the importance of ensuring that young people have access to books and the vital part reading plays in opening doors for future generations.’
