RUSHES: Duchess of Cornwall hosts reception for Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition winners

Duchess of Cornwall hosts reception for Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition winners; ENGLAND: London: St James' Palace: INT Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall speech SOT (standing alongside: Geri Horner (Geri Halliwell, Musician, Spice Girls), Femi Elufowoju Jr (Actor), Mei Fong (Author), Dame Susan Hill (Author), Linda Yueh (Chair of the RCS) and Gyles Brandreth (RCS Ambassador)) - "It is a huge pleasure to welcome you to St James's Palace today, to congratulate, celebrate and thank all those who have participated in this year's Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, as well as some who were unable, because of COVID, to join us last year. I am delighted to report that this year, we received the highest number of entries ever, since the Competition began in 1883! "Now, I wasn't quite around in 1883, yet I often wish I had entered this Competition when I was a child. Not that I think for one moment that I would have had a chance of a prize, but I know from talking to young people across the world that it is enormously exciting to write a piece and post it to the Royal Commonwealth Society to be read by experts like this year's judges. "This train of thought made me wonder what I would have written if I were eligible to enter and were to submit an essay about "Community in the Commonwealth". I think it might go something like this… "Those of us who are part of the Commonwealth of Nations are incredibly privileged to belong to this wonderful community of 54 countries, sharing a spirit of unity, purpose and friendship. To quote the famous Canadian literary character, Anne of Green Gables, "I'm so thankful for friendship: it beautifies life so much". Our Commonwealth community gives each of us 2.4 billion friends. And I believe the 2.4 billion of us do much to beautify life for one another: rejoicing in each other's successes, benefitting from each other's wisdom, and supporting and sustaining one another through difficult times. "...to, so far, s...