Queen Camilla awards gold medals to Britain's best young writers at glitzy competition

Queen Camilla awarded gold medals to Britain's best young writers at a glitzy competition.

The Queen held the 500 Words Grand Final in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace last week.

King Charles's wife, 76, congratulated the winners for their ability to "conjure magic with your pens".

Camilla was credited by Charlie Higson, a member of the judging panel, for ensuring the project returned after a three-year hiatus.

Queen Camilla

The Queen looked elegant in a navy dress as she hosted a reception beforehand.

The young finalists had their entries read in the Palace's ballroom by a group of celebrities.

These included Hollywood star Tom Hiddleston, actor Luke Evans and talent show judge Oti Mabuse.

The winners were announced during The One Show on World Book Day.

\u200bQueen Camilla

Entrants were split into two age categories, five to seven-year-olds and eight to 11-year-olds.

Queen Camilla presented gold, silver, and bronze awards to the winners.

In a speech, the 76-year-old said: "In the three years that we have been without this wonderful competition, I think we have realised how much we have missed it.

"You are here for the same reason that geniuses like Quentin Blake and Julia Donaldson were invited to the Palace - because each one of you is a brilliant writer, with the power to conjure magic with your pens and lead us on escapades with your keyboards."

Queen Camilla

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Camilla said that since the competition was held, half a billion words have "been typed, scribbled and tumbled onto thousands of pages by children across the UK".

These words are then read by volunteers and sent to Oxford University Press to form the biggest collection of children's writing in the world.

The Queen added: "That means that between you, you have created more than a million stories of thought-provoking adventure for future generations to study and enjoy.

Queen Camilla

"Thank you to everybody who has taken part in 500 Words - it is a huge pleasure to have you back."

The Queen is a patron of several literary organisations and has been supporting the children's writing competition since 2015.

The competition was first launched in 2011 by Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show.