Queen Camilla Hosts Solo Event After King Charles Leaves Hospital Following Prostate Surgery
Buckingham Palace said King Charles will be taking "a period of private recuperation" following the treatment
Queen Camilla returned to work the day after King Charles was discharged from the hospital after undergoing surgery to treat an enlarged prostate.
On Tuesday afternoon, Queen Camilla, 76, hosted a reception at Windsor Castle for contributors to the new Miniature Library collection displayed beside Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House as it celebrates its centenary year. The royal reception celebrated authors, illustrators and binders involved in the Modern-Day Miniature Library project — including the Queen's son, Tom Parker Bowles.
The Royal Collection Trust touts the display as the “largest and most famous dolls' house in the world” and was completed as a gift to King Charles’ great-grandmother Queen Mary, “who loved all things small and decorative,” in 1924. A treasure of the replica of an Edwardian residency — which 1,500 craftspeople worked on — is its library, which includes tiny volumes by some of the era’s leading writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A.A. Milne and Thomas Hardy.
As the doll house celebrates its 100th year, the Royal Collection Trust revealed that Queen Camilla has championed the Modern-Day Miniature Library initiative. The pitch commissioned 20 leading writers and illustrators to produce new miniature books to complement the existing collection as a representation of contemporary British literature. The hand-bound texts, which are less than two inches high, include short stories, poetry, plays and more, some inspired by the Dolls’ House or created originally for the anniversary. Queen Camilla’s son Tom, a food writer, fittingly penned “A Recipe Fit for a Queen.”
Related: King Charles Leaves Hospital 3 Days After Prostate Surgery: 'Grateful for All the Kind Messages'
Queen Camilla smiled as she arrived at the Windsor Castle reception on Tuesday, where she took a short tour of the Dolls’ House and checked out the new contributions. The Modern-Day Miniature Library additions include work Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho and royal biographer Robert Hardman plus a copy of the children’s classic The Gruffalo written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which Prince William previously revealed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte liked to read.
The Queen then moved to the Waterloo Chamber, where she met with authors, illustrators and binders who worked on the project. Their new miniature books will be displayed during the Dolls’ House’s centenary year, and visitors can check out the impressive replica with a ticket to Windsor Castle.
Royal Collection Director Tim Knox made a short speech and presented Queen Camilla with her own mini book: a handwritten intro to the project.
“For me, it is the library that is the most breath-taking space in the house,” her message said, in part. “These new books highlight the incredible richness of twenty-first century Literary talent — and demonstrate how fortunate we are to have access to so many outstanding writers, whose work brings joy, comfort, laughter, companionship and hope to us all, opening our eyes to others’ experiences and reminding us that we are not alone.”
Related: Kate Middleton Leaves Hospital Following Abdominal Surgery: 'She Is Making Good Progress'
Literacy has long been one of Queen Camilla’s key causes in her royal work, and she served as patron of many related organizations before King Charles’ accession in September 2022. While her royal bio outlines that a review of the King and Queen’s previous patronages is still in transition, Camilla made a cameo on the first episode of The Queen’s Reading Room Podcast, a new initiative from the book club she launched during the pandemic, earlier this month.
Queen Camilla’s latest engagement comes the day after her husband left the hospital following prostate surgery last Friday. The royal couple seemed to be in good spirits on Monday as they left The London Clinic and King Charles, 75, even gave a wave. Camilla visited her husband several times over the weekend, and told well-wishers gathered outside the hospital, "He's fine, thank you" when asked on Friday.
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“The King was this afternoon discharged from hospital following planned medical treatment and has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement released Monday. “He would like to thank the medical team and all those involved in supporting his hospital visit and is grateful for all the kind messages he has received in recent days.”
King Charles was admitted to The London Clinic, the same hospital where Kate Middleton underwent abdominal surgery, on Jan. 26. The monarch visited his daughter-in-law before his own procedure. The Princess of Wales was also discharged from the hospital on Monday to continue her recovery at home in Windsor following a 13-day stay in the hospital.
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