On July 17th, Queen Camilla celebrated her 77th birthday in a very special way by participating in one of the most important events of the British monarchy: the opening of Parliament.
Accompanied by King Charles, the royal couple attended Westminster Abbey to mark the formal start of the new parliamentary session.
This event took place just a few weeks after the Labour Party won the general elections on July 4th, bringing Kier Starmer to the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla made their entrance in the majestic Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by horses.
The royal insignia, including the Imperial State Crown, the Great Sword of State, and the Cap of Maintenance, traveled in their own carriage, the Queen Alexandra State Coach.
Queen Camilla’s Birthday Gift
Despite her official commitments, Queen Camilla received an exclusive and meaningful birthday gift.
Westminster Abbey commemorated the occasion by ringing its bells in her honor.
“The Abbey bells are ringing out to celebrate the birthday of HM The Queen,” the London landmark captioned a video of the musical tribute on X, adding the hashtag “#HappyBirthdayYourMajesty.”
This gesture is particularly special, as the bells of Westminster Abbey only ring on a few royal birthdays each year.
The Abbey bells are ringing out to celebrate the birthday of HM The Queen.
Our bell ringers are ringing 577 changes of Stedman Caters followed by a course of Cambridge Royal.#HappyBirthdayYourMajesty pic.twitter.com/wCFMJdMntw
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) July 17, 2024
Previously, the bell ringing was more frequent, but in 2020 the tradition changed, reserving the majestic sound only for events of great significance.
The 2022 bell-ringing calendar of Westminster Abbey only marked the birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and the future King Charles.
After Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, this tribute to Queen Camilla takes on even more special meaning.