Royal Shakespeare Jewels at Windsor Castle

King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted two special guests at the start of the reception, which marked the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio. Gregory Doran and Baroness Vadera, the Director and Chair (respectively) of the Royal Shakespeare Company, were on hand to celebrate the literary milestone.

Doran and Vadera spent time with the King and Queen viewing copies of the First and Second Folios, which were published in 1623 and 1632.

The First Folio, published seven years after Shakespeare’s death, includes 36 of his plays. The folio features the first known publication of plays like The Tempest, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night. Both of the displayed copies of the First and Second Folios come from Windsor Castle’s library. King George IV purchased the copy of the First Folio and added it to the library’s collection. The Second Folio was owned by King Charles I, who made marginal notes in the copy during the English Civil War.

The reception was held in St. George’s Hall, but the celebration also included special performances of Shakespeare’s work in the castle’s famed Waterloo Chamber.

Actors like Dame Harriet Walter and Sir Simon Russell Beale were on hand to take part in the performance.

There were also lots of other famous faces at the reception. Here, the King chats with Dame Vanessa Redgrave, who first gained fame playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company. But her relationship with Shakespeare goes back much further than that. On January 30, 1937, her father, Sir Michael Redgrave, was playing Laertes in Hamlet at the Old Vic. His co-star, Sir Laurence Olivier, announced to the audience that “a great actress” had been born during the performance: Sir Michael’s daughter, Vanessa.

And here, Charles chats with his friend Dame Judi Dench, whom we recently saw in the carriage procession at Royal Ascot. Dame Judi made her stage debut as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, and has played numerous Shakespearean roles since. She also won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were also present for the reception. Here, Sophie chats with David Oyelowo, who began his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, famously playing King Henry VI in an acclaimed season of the history plays. Also pictured are Robert Lindsay, who notably played a series of Shakespearean roles for the BBC in the 1980s, and Joely Richardson, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson.

And here, the Duchess of Gloucester chats with the Welsh actor Connor Allen, whose Shakespearean roles include a memorable turn as Romeo, and Helena Bonham Carter, who was Olivia in Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night and Ophelia in Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet.

For the reception, both the clothing and jewels were low-key. Queen Camilla wore a blue dress with ruffle detailing and a subtle dot pattern, but her jewelry was largely hidden. What do you think: does this dress need a brooch, and if so, which one?

She did wear her usual stack of bracelets on her right wrist.

The Duchesses of Edinburgh and Gloucester were dressed in summery silhouettes and fabrics for the occasion.

With her patterned dress, Sophie wore her antique pearl drop earrings—which have appeared frequently of late—and several bracelets.

Birgitte wore an aviation-themed silk jacket with pearls and diamond and sapphire earrings.