The Queen has joked that writing a miniature book for the centenary celebrations of the world’s most famous dolls’ house affected her eyesight.
Camilla created a tiny manuscript for the library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, as did some of the nation’s best-loved writers, from Sir Tom Stoppard and Dame Jacqueline Wilson to Sir Ben Okri and Alan Bennett.
The King’s consort stood by her husband’s side on Monday as he left hospital following treatment for an enlarged prostate and a day later was all smiles during a Windsor Castle reception to thank those involved in the project.
She praised the gathered writers, binders and illustrators for contributing to the “fantastic” initiative and told them: “As a child, seeing the dolls’ house for the first time, I was always fascinated by the books.
“The idea of actually seeing these important writers, actually seeing their writing, was huge excitement – thinking that was written by Conan Doyle, whoever.
“And I know the future generations are going to feel the same about all of you. They are going to look at these books and say ‘Goodness, how wonderful’. It’s wonderful to see Alan Bennett or Tom Stoppard, to see their writing.”
She made her guests laugh when she quipped: “I hope your eyesight hasn’t deteriorated that much – certainly mine did.”
Bennett, Stoppard and Okri were among those attending, alongside many of the craftspeople who created the bindings for the books.
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House was completed in 1924 for King George V’s consort as a gift from the nation after the First World War.
It features a library reflecting tastes from the 1920s, but the 20 new manuscripts update the collection with short stories, poetry collections, illustrated tales, plays, articles and recipes, many inspired by the dolls’ house or written specially for the occasion.
