Overview
- Buckingham Palace released an official portrait taken by Chris Jackson and confirmed the diamond-and-sapphire butterfly brooch worn by the Queen was presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, a release published on July 17.
- On the same day the palace announced The Queen’s Christmas Present, a plan to give every Year 6 pupil in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and every P6 pupil in Scotland a specially stamped copy of Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures with a personal message from the Queen inside.
- The National Literacy Trust will lead distribution through schools and libraries and carry out targeted outreach to hospitals, care settings, refuges and food banks to reach children in vulnerable circumstances, with supporting resources for educators.
- Senior royals helped amplify the announcement, with Prince William and Princess Catherine reposting the palace image and birthday message on social media as gun salutes and official tributes marked the day.
- The giveaway builds on Camilla’s long record on children’s reading, including founding The Queen’s Reading Room and serving as patron to literacy charities, and it targets Year 6 because National Literacy Trust research shows reading enjoyment falls sharply during the move to secondary school.