Camilla hug for Spice Girl Geri
THE Queen Consort spoke of how the written word has offered ‘hope in the midst of grief’ yesterday in her first speech in her new role.
At a Buckingham Palace reception for winners of the Queen’s Commonwealth essay competition, she paid tribute to her late mother-in-law, who she told guests is ‘much in our thoughts today and who is so greatly missed by us all’.
At the reception, where she greeted Spice Girl Geri Horner with a hug, she said of the messages of condolences she has been sent: ‘They have reminded us that the written word has a unique ability to connect, to heal, to reassure and to offer hope, even in the midst of grief’.
Mrs Horner was one of four Royal Commonwealth Society ambassadors who read from the winning entries. The others were novelist and poet Ben Okri, singer Alexandra Burke and actress Ayesha Dharker. The winners were among a record 26,322 entrants.