Queen Camilla praised Britain’s best young writers as she presented the prizes in the BBC’s 500 Words competition for World Book Day on Thursday.

The King’s wife, 76, congratulated the winners for their ability to ‘conjure magic with your pens’ as she celebrated their talent at Buckingham Palace.

Camilla helped host the BBC 500 Words awards ceremony and was credited by writer and comic Charlie Higson, a member of the judging panel alongside Sir Lenny Henry, for ensuring the project returned after a three-year hiatus.

She looked effortlessly elegant in a navy dress as she hosted a reception beforehand.
The young finalists had their entries read in the palace’s ballroom by a group of celebrities who included Hollywood star Tom Hiddleston, actor Luke Evans and talent show judge Oti Mabuse.

Camilla described how even ‘literary hero’ Paddington had tea with Queen Elizabeth II and told the young writers: ‘Now it is our turn to say hats off to all of you, with or without a marmalade sandwich underneath them!

‘You are here for the same reason that geniuses like Quentin Blake and Julia Donaldson were invited to the Palace – because each one of you is a brilliant writer, with the power to conjure magic with your pens and lead us on escapades with your keyboards.

‘And all in just 500 Words!’

Camilla is an avid reader, patron of a number of literary organisations and has been supporting the children’s writing competition since 2015.

Since it was launched in 2011 by Chris Evans on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, the competition has received more than one million stories from children throughout the UK and this year had over 44,000 entrants.

Camilla told the guests who included the prize winners and their parents: ‘Over the years, it has actually turned into half a billion words that have been written, typed, scribbled and tumbled onto thousands of pages by children across the UK, read by an army of volunteers and then sent to Oxford University Press to form the biggest collection of children’s writing in the world.’

The occasion saw a sweet moment in which the Queen chatted with young star Alisha Weir – the 14-year-old actress who played Matilda in the 2022 movie musical.

‘I just finished a horror movie,’ she told Camilla, who appeared surprised by the news.

‘Very different to Matilda,’ an amused Alisha added.

‘Oh my goodness… is it going to frighten the life out of us?’ the Queen asked, to which the young singer replied ‘maybe!’.

Also at the reception, Camilla was asked by comedian Romesh Ranganathan what sparked her interest in literature.

She explained how her father Bruce Shand, an avid reader, used to read books to her and her siblings before their bedtime.

‘When we were children at night he would sit at the bottom of our beds and read us stories, every sort of story you could imagine,’ she recounted.

During a discussion with Romesh, Camilla explained how her father ‘loved reading more than anything else’.

‘He had the biggest collection of books you have ever seen on almost everything,’ she added.

‘When we were children at night he would sit at the bottom of our beds and read us stories, every sort of story you could imagine.

‘I think that’s when my love of books started.’

Major Bruce Shand, who died in 2006 at the age of 89, was a strong source of support for Camilla, and she has previously spoken with pride of his military service.

He was awarded two Military Crosses during the Second World War and was also captured and became a prisoner of war.

The Queen has previously described him as a ‘brilliant storyteller’ who ‘read to us each night and transported us into different worlds’.

BBC Head of Education, Helen Foulkes said: ‘It’s incredible that we received almost 44,000 entries – the calibre of stories submitted this year have been exceptionally high. 500 Words is all about encouraging children from across the UK to enjoy writing and let their imaginations run wild, without fear of spelling, punctuation or grammar. Our hope is that every child that entered continues to fall in love with writing.’

In September, Sir Lenny Henry shared a video of himself enjoying a cup of tea at Buckingham Palace to social media to promote the competition as its judge for the first time.

The Comic Relief superstar was suited and booted as he sat at a table in the palace while reading a poem from The Queen, who champions the importance of literacy in creating life opportunities.