In a vibrant celebration of UK-France cultural collaboration, Queen Camilla and Madame Brigitte Macron announced the winners of the inaugural Entente Littéraire Prize, a new literary award honouring young adult literature in both English and French.
This prize highlights the enduring literary ties between the two nations, inspired by the Entente Cordiale agreement of 1904, and emphasises the joy of reading and the exchange of literary experiences between France and the UK.
The Entente Littéraire Prize was launched in 2023 during Their Majesties’ State Visit to France, when Her Majesty and Madame Macron visited the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
Queen Camilla and Madame Brigitte Macron attended the inaugural Entente Littéraire Prize. (French Embassy UK)
The event, held at the French ambassador’s residence in Kensington, began with a private meeting between the two women in the Salon, where they exchanged books. Both are avid readers, and Queen Camilla, in particular, has made literacy a central theme of her royal work.
Camilla gave Mrs Macron four books selected from her online book club, The Queen’s Reading Room. In return, Mrs Macron gave her a book about the Notre Dame Cathedral, which has recently been restored following a fire.
Afterward, the two women moved to the ballroom, where they met with the shortlisted authors, judges, translators, and schoolchildren.
Six finalists were in the running for the first Entente Littéraire Prize: Thieves by Lucie Bryon, Men Don’t Cry by Faïza Guène, Jefferson by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Par Le Feu by Will Hill, Les Étincelles Invisibles by Elle McNicoll, and Le Livre Bleu De Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros.
Two prizes of €8,000 (£6,625) were awarded: one for a book originally written in French and translated into English, and another for a book originally written in English and translated into French. The prize money was split equally between the author and translator of each winning book. Lucie Bryon took home the prize for her graphic novel Thieves, while Manon Steffan Ros won for Le Livre Bleu De Nebo.
Queen Camilla and Madame Brigitte Macron with the winners of the Entente Littéraire Prize. (French Embassy UK)
Guests at the reception included several notable authors, such as Peter James, Anthony Horowitz, Elif Shafak, Edward St Aubyn, Edmund de Waal, and illustrator Axel Scheffler.
The first prize ceremony takes place during the year of the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale agreements, which was marked by The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh earlier this year at Buckingham Palace earlier this year. Their Royal Highnesses attended a parade on behalf of The King when the Changing of the Guard took place between the French Gendarmerie’s Garde Républicaine and Guardsmen from the Scots Guards. It marked the first time a non-Commonwealth Country has taken part in the duty.
Queen Camilla and Madame Brigitte Macron attended a reception to mark the first Entente Littéraire Prize. (French Embassy UK)
For the event, Macron opted for a coatdress in a dark shade of cornflower blue. Whilst Queen Camilla opted for a Dior outfit with tweed-inspired grey midi dress and blazer. The Queen paired her outfit with the Queen Mother’s crystal art deco brooch, which is made from rock crystal with a diamond feature at the centre. The piece is surrounded by an oblong diamond frame.
During the Qatar State Visit yesterday, Queen Camilla revealed she had been suffering from pneumonia, with one of the after-effects being fatigue. Her illness explains why she has been having to withdrawn from engagements in recent weeks, including the Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
