Literature lover Camilla arrived at the Roundhouse in London with Annabel Elliot, and one of the first people she met was… Dua Lipawho will give a speech at the event.
During her conversation with Camilla, the New Rules singer appeared to say “don’t sing tonight”.
Dressed in a black lace cocktail dress by Fiona Clare and diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels, Camilla met the nominated authors and will later present their prize to the winner at what will be the first fully personalized Booker Prize award ceremony since 2019.
Eve Smith, secretary of the Booker Prize Foundation, said Camilla enjoys the event and is interested in the authors.
Speaking in the dimly lit drinks reception area, Ms Smith said that as it is the first in-person ceremony since the pandemic, people could expect it to be “reimagined” and “something new”.
She said: ‘It’s great to have Her Majesty here as she’s really interested in the authors, and even if she couldn’t come the previous years, she’s always made sure to see them, whether it’s in St. James’s Palace.
“And so when we found out she was coming — we kind of assumed she wouldn’t, you know, when the queen died and she became the queen consort, we kind of assumed she wouldn’t. that this is one of the things she had to let go of, but no, she’s here, so it’s great.
“She likes to be here. I think it’s one of those things where, while there’s obviously a formality to it, there’s also a degree of informality that she really appreciates.”
One of the shortlisted authors the Queen Consort met was Sri Lankan Shehan Karunatilaka, whose book is called The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida.
“Apparently she’s started on my book,” he said.
Karunatilaka said his country has been experiencing economic difficulties and the news that he had been shortlisted “lighted things up”.
He said: “I thought it was a good book. I tried my best, but I brought it out and moved on.
“But now it means it’s being reviewed, that it’s being talked about, that copies are being sold. So yes, that’s great, but you don’t expect it when you finish it.
“But it’s definitely been a boost no matter what happens tonight.”
Karunatilaka said Camilla was discussing Sri Lanka with him and he told her where he was when he received the news that he had been shortlisted.
He said his wife queued for gas for four days as he drove the kids to school.
“And yes, then I got the text,” he said, adding that his wife managed to get a full tank of gas.
“And that night a friend came over and said, ‘Wow, congratulations, full tank of gas. Oh by the way, well done on the Booker’.
“And he was just kidding,” he said.
Percival Everett, author of The Trees’ shortlist, said it was “great news” to hear that he was shortlisted.
“At first I thought my publisher was kidding me,” he said.
Everett said he has read the other books on the shortlist and described them as “amazing”, adding that if he picked the winner, he would pick “one of the others”.
This year’s other fiction works shortlisted are Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, Treacle Walker by Alan Garner, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout.
Camilla’s Instagram-based book club The Reading Room has proved popular and she has over six patronage related to literature, including the National Literacy Trust.