09 March 2024 , 13:22
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There are a few causes that Queen Camilla is known to be incredibly passionate about, and when it came to one of her passion projects, the royal recently showed herself willing to use her influence and "twist arms" to ensure that work in this area was revamped after it was discontinued in 2020.
The cause in question was the 500 Words competition run by the BBC which works to champion a love of literature in children aged 5-11, by encouraging them to write their own stories to be judged, and after a three-year break, it is reportedly down to Queen Camilla that the BBC rejuvenated the competition.
The i newspaper reports that the Queen was the one who first broached the idea of bringing it back - with the backing of Chris Evans, the former BBC radio DJ who launched the competition back in 2011. A source told the outlet: "The Queen initiated contact with the BBC, and Director-General Tim Davie put the full weight of the BBC behind reviving the competition, moving it from radio to TV and exposure on The One Show and BBC Breakfast."
Camilla hosted the award ceremony (PA)This year there were six winners chosen from 44,000 entries across two age categories, and the winning stories were read out by celebrities like Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Bonneville, and this was then broadcast on CBBC.
The i report that one of the judges also noted Camilla's influence in bringing back the literary competition for children, with Charlie Higson saying: "She's been a huge supporter of this, really keen on promoting literacy. And it was really down to her that the competition came back, she twisted a few arms and said 'Look, this is a really good thing, you've got to carry on.'"
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The Queen seemed to acknowledge her role in revamping the competition when she said to one of the celebrity readers, Tom Hiddleston, "I never ever thought we were going to bring it back again, but the very kind people at the BBC did listen, thought it was a good idea and here we are."
Camilla chatted with Tom Hiddleston at the 500 words reception (Getty Images)Queen Camilla said at the final: "In the three years that we have been without this wonderful competition, I think we have realised how much we have missed it. Over the years, it has actually turned into half a billion words that have been written, typed, scribbled, and tumbled onto thousands of pages by children across the UK, read by an army of volunteers, and then sent to Oxford University Press to form the biggest collection of children’s writing in the world.
"That means that between you, you have created more than a million stories of thought-provoking adventure for future generations to study and enjoy. Thank you to everybody who has taken part in 500 Words – it is a huge pleasure to have you back."
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