Queen Camilla paid a sweet tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth as she cut a cake with a ceremonial sword during a visit to a homeless charity in Bristol.
Camilla wielded the weapon in style to mark the 25th anniversary of Emmaus Bristol – a charity she is a patron of and which works to provide accommodation and meaningful work for rough sleepers.
The late monarch famously insisted on using a ceremonial sword to cut a cake during a royal engagement in 2021.
However, on Thursday Camilla did note that it resulted in “not a very elegant slice” as she pulled the long sword through the Victoria sponge cake smothered in icing, adding “it’s not the easiest (to cut)”.
The royal got into the Christmas spirit by buying a donated festive plate in the charity’s shop and pulling a cracker with fellow patron Sir Terry Waite.
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The Queen toured the facilities, visiting a workshop where donated items such as furniture and electrical goods are refurbished before being sold, chatting to companions working on stools before touring the charity’s shop where a £4 plate decorated with a Christmas tree caught her eye.
She produced a £10 note and waited a few moments for her change from Xanne Carey, head of Emmaus Bristol’s social enterprises – retail spaces, house clearance, eco-holiday pods and online shop.
Camilla chatted to trustees, volunteers and companions from Emmaus Bristol in a showroom selling sofas and beds and one former homeless man broke down as he told the Queen about his experiences.
There was an exchange of presents before the Queen left, as she donated a large bag of chocolates, while the charity presented her with dog bowls for her two pet Jack Russell terriers, Beth and Bluebell.
Since 2006 the Queen has been the figurehead of Emmaus UK, an international organisation founded in France in 1949 by Abbe Pierre, a Catholic priest, MP and former member of the French Resistance, who worked to provide homes for those living on the streets of Paris.
Emmaus UK has 30 communities across the country where the homeless – known as “companions” – are provided with accommodation, support and offered work in a social enterprise which helps rebuild confidence and self-esteem.
