Queen Camilla is returning to royal duties today after collecting her husband King Charles from hospital yesterday following his planned prostate surgery.
Today she is hosting some of the country’s best-loved authors at a reception in Windsor Castle after they helped to create a collection of miniature books to celebrate the centenary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
The famous Dolls’ House was built between 1921-1924 as a gift from the nation to Queen Mary following the First World War.
It’s a perfect 1:12 scale replica of an Edwardian style residence and is complete with electricity, working lifts and running water.
The tiny rooms include a fully stocked wine cellar, grand entertaining salons and an extensive library of literary classics – which will now be expanded to include a host of new manuscripts.
Twenty works by leading writers and illustrators have been specially decorated by hand and bound by leading designer-bookbinders as part of the anniversary initiative to establish a Modern-Day Miniature Library, providing a snapshot of contemporary literature in Britain.
The new handwritten books range from short stories, poetry collections and illustrated tales to plays, articles and recipes, many inspired by the Dolls’ House or written specially for the occasion.
Each manuscript, measuring just 4.5cm high, has been hand-bound with a unique cover by a leading designer-bookbinder.
Contributors include children’s author Jacequline Wilson, royal biographer Robert Hardman and poet and playwright Simon Armitage.
Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles, a food writer and critic, wrote A Recipe for a Queen for the project and the Queen – known for her work on literacy – even contributed one herself.
She wrote a handwritten introduction to the project and will see the tiny bound version of it for the first time on Tuesday.
In her introduction The Queen says: “For me, it is the library that is the most breath-taking space in the house” and praises the contribution of all involved, adding: “These new books highlight the incredible richness of twenty-first century Literary talent – and demonstrate how fortunate we are to have access to so many outstanding writers, whose work brings joy, comfort, laughter, companionship and hope to us all, opening our eyes to others’ experiences and reminding us that we are not alone.”
All of the authors, illustrators and binders have been invited to a reception at Windsor Castle today to celebrate the launch of the miniature collection, which are now part of the Royal Collection.
The miniatures will be displayed alongside the Dolls’ House, which first went on display at Windsor Castle in 1925, throughout 2024 in celebration of its centenary year.
