Thursday, July 17, 2025
Thursday July 17, 2025
Thursday July 17, 2025

Palace marks Camilla’s 78th birthday with a jungle dress, diamond ring, and a clingfilm-inspired accessory

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A photo, a jungle-print dress, and a bizarre clingfilm gift mark Queen Camilla’s 78th birthday

Queen Camilla turned 78 on Thursday—and Buckingham Palace released a striking new photo to mark the occasion. The image, taken earlier this month by royal photographer Chris Jackson, shows the Queen smiling as she leans casually on a metal gate in the garden of her private Wiltshire home, Raymill.

Wearing a flowing turquoise dress printed with monkeys, toucans, and lemurs in a rainforest motif, Camilla appeared relaxed and content. The Queen accessorised the look with gold drop earrings, her signature gold ring made of circular plaques on her little finger, and two iconic symbols of her royal life: her five-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring and her wedding band.

Unlike last year, when she marked her birthday by joining King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament, Queen Camilla is expected to spend this year’s milestone in private.

But while the birthday itself remains low-key, her schedule leading up to the day has been anything but quiet.

The Queen, who celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary with King Charles in April, has had a packed few months. In May, she travelled to Canada for the opening of the country’s parliament. In June, she took part in Trooping the Colour. Just last week, she and the King hosted French President Emmanuel Macron during a high-profile state visit.

This week alone, Camilla visited a children’s hospice in Devon and HMS Astute, a nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine docked in Plymouth.

It was aboard HMS Astute that she received what might be the most unusual royal birthday gift in memory: a roll of clingfilm.

Embed from Getty Images

Commander Christopher Bate, who oversees the submarine, presented the gift in a bespoke holder along with a plaque that read, “Clingfilm keeping nuclear submarines at sea.”

Bate explained that the same clingfilm had been used to patch a defect in the main engines of the vessel, a quick fix that earned admiration from the Queen herself.

“There’s nothing more useful, brilliant, how wonderful,” Camilla exclaimed as she accepted the unconventional present with good humour.

The gift was a cheeky tribute to both naval ingenuity and Camilla’s growing presence within the Armed Forces. In a symbolic nod to that relationship, the Queen was also appointed Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom on the same day, recognising her support for the Royal Navy and the wider defence community.

As King Charles continues to undergo cancer treatment, Camilla’s public role has quietly expanded. From stepping in at royal events to undertaking solo engagements, she has become an increasingly steady presence within the monarchy.

Still, the new photo offers a glimpse of the Queen behind the titles and duties. With her effortless smile, vibrant dress, and relaxed stance, Camilla appears at home and at ease, even as the responsibilities of royal life intensify around her.

At 78, the Queen balances state visits and submarine tours with warmth, humour, and an unmistakable sense of personal style—even when the occasion calls for a roll of clingfilm.

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