Queen Camilla has welcomed politicians and celebrities to Buckingham Palace as she hosted a string of important receptions.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, joined members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons at the Palace for an event new MPs, that was hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Among those attending was Clacton’s new MP, Nigel Farage of the Reform Party, and Ealing South member, Labour’s Deirdre Costigan, who revealed one of The King’s food fads.

Speaking after the event, Ms Costigan said King Charles had been very interested in discussing curry with her but had told her that he didn’t like his curries ”too strong”.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were also at the reception. Sophie made a beeline for Jennie, the guide dog of Liberal Democrat MP, Steve Darling, crouching on the Buckingham Palace carpet to give her a stroke. The Duchess of Edinburgh is patron of Guide Dogs.

Queen Camilla’s focus also fell on one of her main passions – literature.

Her Majesty hosted a reception for the judges of the 500 words competition, the annual BBC contest to find brilliant young writers.

The Queen was joined at Buckingham Palace by TV star, Alex Jones, and actor and comedian Sir Lenny Henry who are on the panel.

The other judges – Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, Olivia Dean and Malorie Blackman – were also there as they continued deliberations on who will win the prestigious prizes.

The 500 Words competition is held every year for children aged 5 to 11. Entrants have to come up with a story in 500 words or less. This year, over 44,000 young people have taken part. The 50 finalists will be invited to Buckingham Palace for the award ceremony.

Queen Camilla has been a supporter of the contest for several years.