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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Robert Johnson

Queen Camilla pens miniature book to celebrate 100 years of Queen Mary's Dolls' House

Queen Camilla has joked her eyesight had "deteriorated" as she was presented with the miniature book she wrote, which will go on display at Windsor Castle.

Camilla, 76, got her hands on the 4.5cm high mini book she penned to celebrate 100 year of Queen Mary's Dolls' House.

Twenty authors, including Sebastian Faulks, Jacqueline Wilson and Charlie Mackesy, created miniature books for the exhibition.

The Queen's Dolls' House is a perfect 1:12 scale replica of a vast Edwardian home with electricity, working lifts and running water - first unveiled 100 years ago.

She joined the authors whose books are going on display by the Doll's House - which had a library of 200 books by authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle -  for a reception at the Castle's Waterloo Chamber.

She penned a 254-word message across 16 pages of her tiny book, and said "it's lovely" when she got her hands on the bound copy on Monday.

Queen Camilla receives a miniature book from Glenn Bartley, head of the Royal Bindery (Getty Images)

Glenn Bradley, Head of Royal Binders, described how the Queen had used a regular pen nib to write the message, also described as a foreword.

She was given frames with dimensions to keep the words inside the 4.5cm pages to write her message on ordinary cartridge paper which were then bound into a book with her cypher.

He said: "For a lot of authors it was quite a challenge. The handwriting is extraordinary. The Queen's was very good and legible."

Presented with her book, she said: "It's so lovely, thank you so much, very kind."

She thanked the authors in the room and hailed it as "a fantastic scheme".

Camilla said: "As a child seeing the Dolls' House for the first time, I was always fascinated by the books, the idea of actually seeing very prominent writers actually seeing their writing was huge excitement.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House (PA)

"I know the future generation are going to feel the same about all of you, they are going to look at these books and say 'goodness', wonderful to see Alan Bennet and Tom Stoppard and see their writing.

"I am thrilled by this and hope you will all be very proud of what you've done.

"And also the wonderful binders, I've never seen such exquisite works of art, it's not an easy task to do something that small, so congratulations.

"So again thank you very, very much, I hope your eyesight hasn't deteriorated that much, certainly mine did."

Her message, or foreword, reads in tiny writing: "One century ago, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House was completed after three years’ work by over 1,500 of the finest craftsmen of the day.

"'It is built', wrote AC Benson in The Book of The Queen’s Dolls’ House, 'to outlast us all'."

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