Even before King Charles’s accession, he was very fond of wearing all of his medals and honors at any given moment. It’s gotten worse now that he’s king – during some military events, Charles is weighed down by dozens of medals and special orders, all of them honorary. Like, he didn’t fight in any war, he has not served in combat, and yet he has dozens of shiny medals for being the first-born boy. People are sort of sick of it. Well, Queen Camilla is the same way. In recent years, she’s been gathering up all of the special orders, honors and medals too. But on Thursday, Camilla got something else: an honorary doctorate.
The Queen has been presented with an honorary doctorate by her sister-in-law, the Princess Royal, in recognition of her “personal mission” to promote literacy. The pair travelled together from St James’s Palace to Senate House in Bloomsbury, central London for the rare joint engagement.
Princess Anne, 74, as chancellor of the University of London, presented the Queen, 77, with an Honorary Doctorate of Literature in recognition of her many years championing literacy. In her opening address, the Princess said the annual ceremony was a celebration of “exceptional individuals who have made invaluable contributions in their respective fields”.
Sir Mark Lowcock, chairman of the board of trustees, highlighted the Queen’s ties with the university, which he said dated “back to her formative years” when she attended its institute in Paris, then known as the British Institute in Paris, where she studied French and French literature. He praised her for the way she had “embraced her role as a committed public servant with grace, compassion and tireless energy” since her marriage to the King, pointing out that she was patron or president of more than 100 charities.
“Her commitment to the promotion of literacy and literature stands out as testament to her personal passion and belief in the transformative power of books,” Sir Mark added. “It is only fitting that this Honorary Doctorate of Literature recognises Her Majesty’s exceptional efforts to advance literacy and education not simply as a public duty but as a personal mission inspired by a lifelong love of reading. Her Majesty’s work has touched countless lives and will continue to inspire future generations of readers and writers.”
Previous recipients of the honorary doctorate include George V and Queen Mary (then the Prince and Princess of Wales), Winston Churchill, TS Eliot, and Dame Judi Dench. The Queen has long championed a love of reading and is patron of several literary charities including the National Literacy Trust and Book Aid International. A voracious reader, she established an online book club in January 2021 after receiving an overwhelming response to recommended reading lists she posted on Instagram during lockdown.
Here’s the thing… Camilla loves reading. She loves nothing more than tucking into a bottle of wine and a good book. She’s turned that into one of her “causes” – a soft-focus “literacy” campaign with no teeth, no tangible goals, no actual programs incentivizing reading or intelligent consumption of the written word. She has a book club and that’s it, really. Why does that equal an honorary doctorate?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.