Queen Camilla appeared composed as she greeted one of BBC’s gladiators during a reception tonight at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen – dressed inblack and blue – welcomed finalists, judges and celebrity readers at King Charles’ London residence to celebrate the final of BBC’s 500 Words competition for young writers.
Camilla met Gladiator Nitro, otherwise known as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, in a formal line-up during the event, which was also attended by other celebrities, including Olivia Colman, Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher, Matt Lucas and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
She has supported the writing competition – which encourages young people between five to 11 to write a short story from their own imagination – since 2015
During today’s reception, the Queen was left giggling as she was told: “This is Harry, but you might know him as Gladiator Nitro.
The scantily-clad star told the royal with a bow: “It’s so lovely to meet you.”
Camilla told him: “The children were so thrilled to be escorted off by a Gladiator” to which he replied: “We seem to have such a rapport with these young children, which is amazing.”
The Queen added: “They will probably remember that more than they will be winning a medal. Well, thank you very much indeed.”
It was not the first time the BBC star was invited to the Palace.
He revealed that the first time was sometime in 2010 to meet the late Queen Elizabeth, after he was selected as a member of Team GB as an Olympian sprinter for the World Championships in Athletics.
The star said: “I met the late Queen as Harry here in this room. I was invited here in 2010ish to highlight my achievements on behalf of the ethnic minorities.
He joked: “I was dressed well. To be fair, I did come [today] dressed correctly, and once I got here, they told me [to put on the costume].
“I thought gosh, surely I must be the least dressed man in this room. I’ve added to the history.”
But he added that Camilla did not “even blink” when she saw him, saying: “She wasn’t surprised. I guess it’s 2025 and we are welcoming all sorts into the house!”
Young Bond author and competition judge Charlie Higson quipped that Buckingham Palace had not seen such a pair of shiny pants “since the Stewarts”.
He said: “I often wonder how I would have turned out if smartphones and tablets and all those things had been around when I was growing up. I spent all my time writing. It’s so encouraging and exciting to see kids still write stories and still enjoy stories. The Queen is genuinely passionate about it. It makes a special event even more special. “
BBC 500 Words’s final will air on The One Show on March 6, World Book Day.
