search
date/time
 | Yorkshire Times Weekend Edition |
11:10 AM 4th May 2023
frontpage
100 Coronation Facts - The Queen Consort
1. Camilla Rosemary Shand was born on 17 July 1947 at King’s College Hospital, London.
2. The Queen Consort’s parents are Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and the Hon Rosalind Maud Shand (nee Cubitt).
3. Her Majesty has personal links to military organisations connected to her father, Major Bruce Shand, who was awarded two military crosses. The Queen Consort has attended many occasions with veterans, serving soldiers and officers of the 9th/12th Lancers with whom her father served. Major Shand also fought with the Desert Rats in the Second World War before being captured during the Battle of El Alamein.
4. The Queen Consort has been involved with the Royal Osteoporosis Society since the 1990s, and it became her first patronage as Duchess of Cornwall, after her mother and grandmother both suffered with the condition.
5. Her Majesty is the eldest of the three Shand children. The Queen Consort has a sister, Annabel Elliot and a brother, Mark Shand, who sadly passed away in 2014.
6. In September 2014, The King and The Queen Consort, as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, became Joint Presidents of Elephant Family. The charity was founded in 2002 by Her Majesty's late brother, Mark Shand, who dedicated his life to saving the Asian Elephants.
7. The King and The Queen Consort married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor on 9th April 2005. This was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
8. Following her marriage to The King, The Queen Consort has become Patron or President of over 100 charities.
9. The Queen Consort’s first solo official engagement was to Southampton General Hospital on 23rd May 2005.
10. Her Majesty travelled to the United States for her first official visit overseas in November 2005, meeting President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House.
11. The Queen Consort adopted two rescue Jack Russell terriers, Beth and Bluebell, as puppies from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. On a visit to Battersea Old Windsor in 2020, Jack Russell Beth assisted Her Majesty in unveiling a plaque (with a little help from some foodie treats!)
2. The Queen Consort’s parents are Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and the Hon Rosalind Maud Shand (nee Cubitt).
3. Her Majesty has personal links to military organisations connected to her father, Major Bruce Shand, who was awarded two military crosses. The Queen Consort has attended many occasions with veterans, serving soldiers and officers of the 9th/12th Lancers with whom her father served. Major Shand also fought with the Desert Rats in the Second World War before being captured during the Battle of El Alamein.
4. The Queen Consort has been involved with the Royal Osteoporosis Society since the 1990s, and it became her first patronage as Duchess of Cornwall, after her mother and grandmother both suffered with the condition.
5. Her Majesty is the eldest of the three Shand children. The Queen Consort has a sister, Annabel Elliot and a brother, Mark Shand, who sadly passed away in 2014.
6. In September 2014, The King and The Queen Consort, as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, became Joint Presidents of Elephant Family. The charity was founded in 2002 by Her Majesty's late brother, Mark Shand, who dedicated his life to saving the Asian Elephants.
7. The King and The Queen Consort married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor on 9th April 2005. This was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
8. Following her marriage to The King, The Queen Consort has become Patron or President of over 100 charities.
9. The Queen Consort’s first solo official engagement was to Southampton General Hospital on 23rd May 2005.
10. Her Majesty travelled to the United States for her first official visit overseas in November 2005, meeting President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House.
11. The Queen Consort adopted two rescue Jack Russell terriers, Beth and Bluebell, as puppies from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. On a visit to Battersea Old Windsor in 2020, Jack Russell Beth assisted Her Majesty in unveiling a plaque (with a little help from some foodie treats!)
12. In 2013, The Queen Consort began a Wash Bag initiative, providing Sexual Assault Referral Centres (or SARCs) with wash bags, containing toiletries such as shampoo and body wash, which are given to those referred to the centres.
13. In July 2021, Her Majesty, when she was The Duchess of Cornwall, became Patron of Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral centre, Mirabel.
14. The Queen Consort keeps fit by taking Silver Swan ballet classes.
15. Her Majesty is a fan of the BBC programme, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, and on two occasions has had the opportunity to dance with judge Craig Revel-Horwood and former judge Len Goodman.
16. A self-confessed bibliophile, Her Majesty has said that the book she returns to over and over again is ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
17. In 2021, while the UK was in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, Her Majesty launched The Reading Room – an Instagram platform to discover new books and the extraordinary people who create them. In February 2023, the initiative was relaunched as a charity, called ‘The Queen’s Reading Room’.
18. The Queen Consort enjoys playing Scrabble and Wordle.
19. In the build up to Her Majesty’s 75th birthday, The Queen Consort made her Vogue debut in June 2022.
20. Her Majesty does not have her ears pierced, instead choosing to wear clip-on earrings.
21. The Queen Consort is President of Ebony Horse Club, the organisation which taught Khadijah Mellah how to ride, leading her to become the first hijab-wearing jockey in a competitive British horse race and the winner of the Magnolia Cup.
22. Her Majesty’s engagement ring once belonged to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The King’s grandmother.
23. The Queen Consort’s 75th birthday edition of Country Life was the best-selling of all time.
24. Her Majesty is a keen gardener and also produces her own honey at home in Wiltshire. This honey is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise money for charity.
25. Last year, Buckingham Palace announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had appointed The Duchess of Cornwall, as she was formerly known, to be a Lady of the Garter.
13. In July 2021, Her Majesty, when she was The Duchess of Cornwall, became Patron of Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral centre, Mirabel.
14. The Queen Consort keeps fit by taking Silver Swan ballet classes.
15. Her Majesty is a fan of the BBC programme, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, and on two occasions has had the opportunity to dance with judge Craig Revel-Horwood and former judge Len Goodman.
16. A self-confessed bibliophile, Her Majesty has said that the book she returns to over and over again is ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
17. In 2021, while the UK was in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, Her Majesty launched The Reading Room – an Instagram platform to discover new books and the extraordinary people who create them. In February 2023, the initiative was relaunched as a charity, called ‘The Queen’s Reading Room’.
18. The Queen Consort enjoys playing Scrabble and Wordle.
19. In the build up to Her Majesty’s 75th birthday, The Queen Consort made her Vogue debut in June 2022.
20. Her Majesty does not have her ears pierced, instead choosing to wear clip-on earrings.
21. The Queen Consort is President of Ebony Horse Club, the organisation which taught Khadijah Mellah how to ride, leading her to become the first hijab-wearing jockey in a competitive British horse race and the winner of the Magnolia Cup.
22. Her Majesty’s engagement ring once belonged to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The King’s grandmother.
23. The Queen Consort’s 75th birthday edition of Country Life was the best-selling of all time.
24. Her Majesty is a keen gardener and also produces her own honey at home in Wiltshire. This honey is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise money for charity.
25. Last year, Buckingham Palace announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had appointed The Duchess of Cornwall, as she was formerly known, to be a Lady of the Garter.
photos courtesy of https://www.royal.uk/