Queen Camilla surprises children at London primary school as she visits to open Coronation library
7 May 2024, 19:39
Queen Camilla surprised children at a north London primary school as she visited to open a Coronation library.
The Queen delighted several pupils at Moreland primary school in Islington, with two ten-year-olds seen smiling broadly as she arrived.
She opened the school's new Coronation Library, which is the fiftieth in a series of libraries that have been given makeovers by the National Literacy Trust.
The Queen, who is a patron of the National Literacy Trust, also took part in a storytelling session with librarians from various primary schools in London.
After opening the library, Camilla listened to a poetry reading from Joseph Coelho, the children's laureate.
Mr Coelho had written a new poem, ’One Thousand Libraries’, which he wrote for the ceremony.
Camilla then visited the school playground for a performance by the school choir.
Schoolchildren watched on and waved flags that were emblazoned with images of their favourite characters from books.
Mr Coelho said afterwards: "A library in a primary school is not only a wonderful resource and repository of books, it is an oasis, a special, magical place where children can discover more about themselves, their inner worlds and the world beyond their front door."
The school's headteacher Catherine Lawrence, said the new library was "a momentous occasion for our school and community."
She added: "Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and the library will cement our aim to not only empower every child with the tools they need to succeed, but also foster a love of reading that lasts a lifetime."
The Queen's visit came as her stepson Prince Harry touched down in the UK on Tuesday afternoon.
He does not plan to visit his father King Charles or brother Prince William during his UK visit.
The Duke of Sussex arrived from the US on Tuesday without his wife Meghan and their two children ahead of the Invictus Games celebrations in London.