Queen Camilla Just Received a Special Honor from a Surprising Member of the Royal Family

Queen Camilla suffered a setback in November as she was forced to back out of numerous royal engagements due to a chest infection, but now that she's back to work, the Queen has been keeping plenty busy—and one member of the Royal Family has stepped up to present her with a touching honor.

Camilla has long been a supporter of literacy-based charities, and on Wednesday, Nov. 20, she received an honorary doctorate of literature from the University of London. But it wasn't just any university staffer who presented the doctorate; Camilla received the honor from her sister-in-law, Princess Anne.

While it might seem slightly random for the Princess Royal to present the Queen with an honorary degree, Anne has served as the University of London's chancellor since 1981. She took over the role from her grandmother, The Queen Mother, who carried out chancellor duties for 25 years.

Queen Camilla is the third royal to receive an honorary doctorate from the British university, following in the footsteps of King George V and Queen Mary.

Queen Camilla was honored for her work as patron of numerous literacy organizations, including the National Literacy Trust, First Story, Coram Beanstalk and BookTrust. Per Buckingham Palace, the royal "has visited schools and libraries, as well as workplaces and prisons, to see the work of adult literacy schemes."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Camilla launched The Queen's Reading Room as an Instagram-based book club, but since then, it's grown to become much more. In February 2023, The Queen announced that the Reading Room had become "a charity on a mission to champion literature in the U.K. and beyond."

"To me reading is a great adventure, I have loved it since I was very small and I would love everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do," Queen Camilla stated on the charity's website. "You can escape, and you can travel, and you can laugh and you can cry. Every type of emotion which humans experience is in a book."

Her Majesty's university doctorate moment follows a glittering banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

During the annual Diplomatic Corps Reception, Camilla stepped out in a dazzling diamond-and-aquamarine tiara once worn by Queen Elizabeth II. Perhaps she can pair it with her new university robes at the next royal event.