Queen Camilla, Still Recovering from Pneumonia, Refuses to Miss Event About Her Passion of Literacy

The Queen was joined by First Lady of France Brigitte Macron for an event in London on Dec. 4

Once again, Queen Camilla has shown her commitment to literacy and literature.

The Queen, 77, joined Brigitte Macron at the Entente Littéraire Prize ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 4, the day after Camilla revealed that the ongoing chest infection the palace announced on Nov. 5 was actually pneumonia. 

Related: Queen Camilla Speaks Out on Ongoing Illness, Reveals Reason for Extended Absence

Camilla and the First Lady of France attended the ceremony together at the French Ambassador’s Residence in London for the prize awarded to books aimed at teenagers and young adults. The prize is also aimed at shining a light on Franco-British literary talent, showing the special connection of reading that exists between the two countries. The prize is new, having just been established in 2023 after an official launch during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to France in September of that year.

Wednesday marked the prize’s first ceremony, which saw Camilla and Macron introduced to both the prize’s judges and the authors recognized through it. Two winners will be awarded from finalists including Thieves by Lucie Bryon; Men Don’t Cry by Faïza Guène; Jefferson by Jean-Claude Mourlevat; Par Le Feu by Will Hill; Les Etincelles Invisibles by Elle McNicoll; and Le Livre Bleu De Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros.

Camilla’s appearance is the second time that the Queen refused to miss an event surrounding books, despite her ongoing illness. On Nov. 5, the palace announced that she had come down with a chest infection and would miss Remembrance events that week, including the Festival of Remembrance on Nov. 9 and Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph war memorial on Nov. 10. That said, she was back at work on Nov. 12 to meet with finalists of the literary Booker Prize at her London home, Clarence House.

Related: Queen Camilla Cancels Outing to Gladiator II Premiere as She Returns to Work After Chest Infection

She skipped the Gladiator II premiere alongside King Charles the next night, but attended a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 19 before being presented with an honorary doctorate of literature by her sister-in-law, Princess Anne, at the University of London on Nov. 20 for her work promoting literacy and literature over many years. 

The Queen then pulled out of Nov. 22’s Royal Variety Performance just hours before it was supposed to begin, once again citing an ongoing chest infection. She also scaled back her involvement in the Qatar state visit this week, and said on Dec. 3 to guests at a Buckingham Palace reception that her chest infection was a form of pneumonia. 

It’s understood that the Queen is recovering well but continues to experience episodic symptoms of post-viral fatigue. She is thought to be taking each day as it comes in regards to her illness, and will continue to monitor future appearances with doctors’ advice — as post-viral fatigue symptoms can linger for weeks.

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Camilla’s work around literacy is clearly a can’t-miss-if-at-all-possible staple in her diary. An avid reader herself, the Queen has long been a supporter of literacy across the U.K. and the Commonwealth, visiting schools, libraries, workplaces and prisons to promote it. She is patron of several organizations that support literacy, including the National Literacy Trust, First Story, Coram Beanstalk and BookTrust. In 2023, The Queen’s Reading Room turned from an online book club to a charity that promotes the benefits of reading that February.