The Queen is said to be marking her 78th birthday in private today
Queen Camilla is set to enjoy a laid-back birthday today, as Her Majesty turns 78 with a private celebration, according to reports. To mark the occasion, Buckingham Palace released a splendid new portrait of the Queen, taken in the meadow of Raymill, her ultra-private personal home in Lacock, Wiltshire.
Beaming as she leans against a metal gate, the picture is a showcase of Queen Camilla’s high spirits. The portrait, taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson, shows Her Majesty wearing a vibrant Liberty print dress, adorned with tropical patterns, toucans, lemurs, and monkeys. The royal has accessorised with some gold drop earrings, matching rings and bracelet, as well as her emerald-cut diamond engagement ring.
The never-before-seen portrait was likely taken on the same day as another recent portrait released of the Queen: the picture of Her Majesty with her new rescue puppy, Moley, on 14 July.
Yesterday, Queen Camilla was bestowed a historic honour, perfectly timed to mark her big day. Her Majesty was named Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom during a visit to HMS Astute in Plymouth, becoming the first woman (and only second royal) to be appointed to the honorary position, which dates back to the 1500s.
In one eccentric moment, the Queen was presented with quite the unusual birthday gift in honour of her new position: a ceremonial roll of clingfilm. ‘There’s nothing more useful,’ she thanked the crew, ‘brilliant, how wonderful!’ The clingfilm quite literally goes to the heart of HMS Astute’s history, reportedly used to fix an engine issue during service.
Earlier in the day, Camilla visited Little Bridge House, a children’s hospice in Fremington, to celebrate the foundation’s 30th anniversary. The Queen met with residents, staff, and family members, explaining that, while once she thought that hospices were ‘sad places’, she had now come to realise how ‘completely uplifting’ they were. ‘I don’t think we realise quite how lucky we are to have them,’ she added.
‘Everyone who works in them and makes them such happy places deserves a huge, huge thank you,’ she said.
While the run-up to Queen Camilla’s birthday has been busy this year, her big day will be far more relaxed than last year. In 2024, Her Majesty celebrated her 77th birthday amid all the pomp and circumstance of the State Opening of Parliament in the wake of the General Election. For the illustrious occasion, the Queen wore the George IV State Diadem, a highly symbolic headpiece that was so iconic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The George IV Diadem features 1,333 diamonds, with four crosses and flowers representing the different countries that make up the United Kingdom. Throughout its lineage, various royals have altered its composition. Queen Alexandra shrunk it by 11 diamonds in 1902 to fit her smaller head, while the Queen Mother also had it resized to fit her properly.
The late Queen Elizabeth was painted wearing the diadem on several occasions, including her portrait by Lucian Freud in 2001. Most famously, perhaps, she was pictured in the crown in her most iconic of depictions: the stamps and banknotes that circulate around the world to this day.
While the Queen’s birthday will certainly be less lavish today, no doubt she will be surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones as she looks forward to everything the next year holds.
