TAKING A STARRING ROLE
MEETS ACTING ROYALTY TO SHARE HER LOVE OF SHAKESPEARE
The Queen may have been without her husband on Valentine’s Day, but she was joined instead by acting royalty at a star-studded reception to celebrate the work of William Shakespeare.
Camilla, who is patron of the National Theatre, posed for a photograph with more than a dozen dames, including Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley, Vanessa Redgrave, Harriet Walter and Penelope Keith. The distinguished line-up was completed by Virginia McKenna, Twiggy Lawson, Floella Benjamin, Penelope Wilton, Siân Phillips, Patricia Routledge and Maureen Lipman.
She also posed for a photograph with 11 wellknown leading men, all of whom have played Hamlet on stage or screen.
Her Majesty, wearing a vibrant green dress from Me + Em and white drop earrings by Alhambra Van Cleef & Arpels, beamed as she stood surrounded by Freddie Fox, Alex Jennings, Jeremy Irons, Brian Cox, Sir Tom Courtenay, Peter Egan, Robert Lindsay, Martin Jarvis, Sir Simon Russell Beale, Robert Powell and Samuel West.
She had been due to attend the Celebration of Shakespeare event at London’s Grosvenor House hotel with the King, who was instead recovering at Sandringham after a second session of treatment for cancer.
But the monarch was very much in everyone’s thoughts, as the gathered luminaries signed a giant Shakespeare card to wish him a speedy recovery.
Her Majesty was accompanied by her sister Annabel Elliot, while other royal guests included the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Lady Sarah Chatto. Lady Gabriella Kingston was joined by her brother Lord Frederick Windsor and his actress wife, Sophie Winkleman.
ENDURING LOVE
Author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, who is a good friend of the Queen, raised a toast “to the love of Shakespeare and the love between the King and Queen”. There was laughter as he presented Camilla with matching love-heart jumpers for her and Charles.
Dame Judi, Gary Oldman and Robert Lin
