Queen Camilla Dons Ceremonial Robe as She’s Given an Honorary Doctorate — By Her Sister-in-Law, Princess Anne!

Mar. 15, 2025

ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty

Queen Camillaalready carries an impressive title before her first name — and she’s now added one more.

Honorary degrees have been conferred as part of the ceremony since 1908, and the Queen isn’t the first royal to receive the honor — King George V and Queen Mary also received honorary doctorates when they were Prince and Princess of Wales. In addition to royals, notables like Sir Winston Churchill; poet, essayist and playwright T.S. Eliot; and Dame Judi Dench have also been honored in this manner.

Queen Camilla is being given her honorary doctorate for her promotion of literacy and literature over many years, according to Buckingham Palace. An avid reader herself, the Queen has a strong interest in highlighting the importance of literacy and has long been a supporter of literacy in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, the palace added, visiting schools, libraries, workplaces and even prisons to see literacy at work.

Camilla has been patron of organizations that promote and support literacy for years, including the National Literary Trust, First Story, Coram Beanstalk and BookTrust. She launched The Queen’s Reading Room as an online book club on Instagram in January 2021, which eventually became a charity that promotes the benefits of reading in February 2023.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Princess Anne, Princess Royal reacts as she prepares to present Britain’s Queen Camilla with an Honorary Doctorate of Literature during a ceremony at the University of London, in London, on Nov. 20, 2024.ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty

In addition to presenting Queen Camilla and four others with their honorary doctorates — in ceremonial robes, no less! — the Princess Royal, 74, will, as Chancellor of the University of London, inspect a Guard of Honor consisting of members of the University’s Officer Training Corps, Air Squadron and Royal Naval Unit. Princess Anne has served as Chancellor of the University of London since 1981 and is the tenth person to hold the position since the university was founded 188 years ago.

Queen Camilla’s latest honor is a piece of good news for her following a rough month — she fell ill with a chest infection in early November, forcing her to miss out on joining the royal family for Remembrance events, and her beloved dog Beth died this past weekend, as PEOPLE understands she was put down humanely after discovering she had an untreatable tumor.

source: people.com