The Queen made a surprise appearance in the audience at a royal literary festival at Hampton Court Palace on Sunday (11 June), which was headlined by Dame Judi Dench.
The Queen's Reading Room Festival was the first in-person iteration of the book club Queen Camilla started in lockdown, while she was still the Duchess of Cornwall.
While the Reading Room is the Queen's personal project, it was not announced publicly that she would be attending or taking part in any of the talks on the day.
However, The Queen surprised the audience of Dame Judi Dench's headline event when she arrived in the crowd and sat towards the back of the raised seating of the open-air venue.
The King also waved to attendees of the festival as he arrived at Hampton Court Palace for a special reception, attended by actors including Joanna Lumley and Richard E. Grant. For the occasion, Queen Camilla wore a long sleeve, wide leg jumpsuit in royal blue, while The King opted for a navy, pin-striped suit and lilac tie.
Dame Judi Dench was on stage in conversation with Gyles Brandreth to discuss her love and career in Shakespeare. She also shared other anecdotes from her life of performance, such as what it was like behind-the-scenes with Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dame Judi treated the audience to renditions of Shakespeare, as did special guest Sir Derek Jacobi. Ben Elton, the writer behind sitcom Upstart Crow based on the life of William Shakespeare, was also invited to join the stage.