Queen Camilla will celebrate her first birthday as the monarch of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms this July, making it a very significant day.
Although we doubt they create a card only for that occasion, the Royal Family will undoubtedly ensure that Her Majesty’s day is made memorable.
The Queen has already had a very eventful year. She was crowned
So she might want to spend this birthday relaxing with her beloved rescue dogs (which she honoured on her Coronation gown) or a good book, as she’s vocal about her love for reading.
But when is the Queen’s birthday and how old is she?
Queen Camilla turned 76 today (July 17).
Being born under the Cancer star sign, Camilla, so the astrologers say, could show tendencies of loyalty, protectiveness, intuition, and being caring.
On the flip side, Cancers are overly sensitive, moody, and vindictive.
So, don’t cross the Queen! But if you’re in her good books, you’re golden. And speaking of books…
What is the Queen’s Reading Room, and what is the Queen known to like?
After a busy year, we imagine Her Majesty is looking forward to nothing more than a slice of cake and a good book today.
She spearheaded The Queen’s Reading Room, after all, a charity working to provide opportunities for the appreciation of literature among adults and children.
She is quoted as saying, ‘Reading is exciting. Reading is fun. Reading is cool. There is nothing quite like the thrill of opening a book and being drawn into another world to meet new people and to discover their stories – it’s like making new friends.’
Camilla’s love for reading starts with her parents.
She once said: ‘Just as my father read to us as children, I used to read to my own children and now read to my grandchildren.’
Where was Camilla born and who were her parents?
Camilla was born on July 17, 1947, at King’s College Hospital, London, to Bruce Shand and Rosalind Cubitt.
Her mother, Rosalind was an aristocrat. In 1939, Rosalind was named ‘Debutante of the Year.’
She would go on to marry Bruce Shand in 1946 at St. Paul’s Church in London.
Rosalind died in 1994 at age 72 from osteoporosis, and her battle with the disease has inspired Camilla to take up prevention of the disease as one of her core charitable enterprises.
Camilla’s father, Bruce Shand, was an officer in the British Army who served in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force during the Second World War.
He later became a wine merchant, before passing away in 2006.
Who are Queen Camilla’s siblings?
Camilla has two younger siblings – a brother and a sister.
Her sister, Sonia Annabel Elliot (who goes by Annabel) is a British interior designer and antiques dealer.
Annabel is the mother of British Conservative politician Sir Ben Elliot, who served as the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party.
Camilla’s brother, Mark, unfortunately passed away aged 62.
Mark Shand was a travel writer and conservationist who had a particular focus on elephants. He died after falling and hitting his head during a party in 2014.
Who are Queen Camilla’s children?
From her first marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles, Camilla has two children.
Tom Parker-Bowles, 48, is a food writer and daughter, Laura Lopes, 45, is an art curator.
From her children, Camilla has five grandchildren.
One of her grandsons, Freddy, stood by her side on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day of the Coronation.