The Queen was full of compliments for Hollywood legend Sarah Jessica Parker as she welcomed her to Clarence House.
Camilla was hosting a reception for shortlisted authors, judges and supporters of the prestigious literary prize, which saw the Sex and the City star among the five judges.
‘It’s one of your many hats,’ the wife of King Charles told the actress, whose fashion-loving character Carrie Bradshaw is known for her flamboyant outfits.
‘And the one I’m most proud of,’ she replied. ‘It was thrilling, especially to be among this group, who are all extraordinary, smart and wise. We had such riches to discuss, and we are surrounded by such wonderful, exciting authors.’
Chairman of the judging panel Roddy Doyle, along with Chris Power, Ayobami Adebayo, Kiley Reid and Sarah, spent the past year considering 153 novels for the prize, eventually choosing David Szalay’s rags-to-riches novel, Flesh, which Doyle described as ‘a dark book, but a joy to read’.
Camilla had previously met the British-Hungarian author in 2016, when he was shortlisted for the Booker Prize but didn’t win.
‘Congratulations, it’s fantastic,’ she told him. Telling the Queen he lives in Vienna, he added: ‘You must come and visit.’
Afterwards he said of winning the prize: ‘It means an enormous amount. It’s such a high-profile prize that I think every novelist, secretly or otherwise, dreams of. To win it is a slightly surreal experience,’ adding that the Queen does ‘absolutely wonderful work.’
The Queen was full of compliments for Hollywood legend Sarah Jessica Parker as she welcomed her to Clarence House
Camilla was hosting a reception for shortlisted authors, judges and supporters of the prestigious literary prize, which saw the Sex and the City star among the five judges
Meanwhile Sarah Jessica Parker, who has her own publishing imprint, said she ‘loved pretty much everything’ about Flesh, adding: ‘It’s almost an approach to fiction that none of us had experienced… and allowed the reader to feel such intense emotion for somebody, who in many ways, the author chose not to over-illustrate, which is an extraordinary skill.’
An avid reader since childhood, she told how she had been following the Booker Prize for years and ‘raised my hand jokingly’ – only to be approached by the organisation’s Chief Executive Gaby Wood to be a judge.
‘My children said, “we excuse you for the next 11 months”,’ she said.
‘I missed many meals out, didn’t go to the theatre or see any movies, but it was the kind of sacrifice that I thought had a great nobility. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for a reader like me, who likes nothing more than to be inside the pages of a really special book.
‘I’ve always been a reader and have spoken about the importance of libraries, and I’m a publisher as well, and I think reading is something that is necessary, important and changes lives.’
Telling how she shares the Queen’s passion for literature, she added: ‘I’m so appreciative of the attention she gives and focuses on literacy and reading and the way it enriches lives.’
Looking every bit as chic as her TV character, she revealed her satin pleated A-line dress was from a thrift shop, as was her black embellished vintage 1980s Dior jacket.
She paired her outfit with pink shoes by Rene Caovilla and a sparkly ‘Domino’ bag by Sonia Rykiel.
Camilla (centre) pictured with judges of this year’s Booker Prize competition, including (from left to right) Chris Power, Sarah Jessica Parker, this year’s winner David Szalay, Ayobami Adebayo (2nd R) and Kiley Reid (R) during a reception for shortlisted authors, judges and supporters, and the newly announced Children’s Booker Prize at Clarence House
The other shortlisted titles for this year’s Booker Prize were Flashlight by Susan Choi, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, Audition by Katie Kitamura, The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits and The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller.
Among the other literary figures at the reception was Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Chair of Judges for the inaugural Children’s Booker Prize, which will be awarded in February 2027.
The Queen, who is patron of several charities which support literacy, told the shortlisted authors: ‘Thank you all for your contribution to literature.
‘Nowadays it’s so important get people reading, more important than ever, and especially with the Children’s Booker Prize, to get them [children] involved as well.
‘You are right at the top of the game and you set the most wonderful example of writing to all of us, so please keep doing it, please keep on writing because you give us so much pleasure – not only me, but many others all around the world.’
The Booker Prize Foundation is a registered charity established in 2002 to inspire people to read the world’s best fiction, foster a love of reading, and to support writers and readers of the future.
The Children’s Booker Prize, announced last month, will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old, written in or translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. Ends