Queen celebrates poetry charity’s anniversary with famous faces

The Queen mingled with numerous celebrities as she celebrated the anniversary of a poetry charity.

Camilla hosted a reception at Clarence House on Wednesday evening to mark the 30th anniversary of the Forward Arts Foundation.

She was joined by actresses Helena Bonham Carter – who read a poem to the guests – and Natascha McElhone, as well as other supporters and previous winners of the Forward Prizes for Poetry.

Through its programmes, including National Poetry Day, the charity promotes public knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of poetry in Great Britain and Ireland.

The aim is to better understand and communicate how poetry can contribute to young people’s wellbeing and to support and promote the work of poets across the country, particularly underrepresented poets.

Camilla, wearing a blue silk peacock dress by Fiona Clare, welcomed and addressed each guest one by one at the reception, accompanied by Forward Arts Foundation founder William Sieghart.

When Camilla spoke about her passion for poetry, she told a guest, “It’s never too late to start.”

Sieghart then gave a speech to the guests about the origins and current position of the association and said that the work was “something I am incredibly proud of”.

“Harry Potter” and “Sweeney Todd” actress Bonham Carter rounded off the reception with a reading of a poem by William Stafford entitled “Yes.”

Sieghart told the PA news agency: “It’s remarkable how much poetry has evolved in these 30 years because when I started it was a slightly forgotten art form and not something people really talked about.”

“But in some ways it is our greatest cultural export to the world.”

He said the Queen’s commitment to the Forward Arts Foundation was “tremendous” and “testament” that the charity was delivering on its ambitions.

The charity also awards the annual Forward Prizes for Poetry and the Forward Book of Poetry, an anthology of the year’s best poems.

A separate anthology entitled “Poems of the Decade” is studied by 8,000 high school graduates.

Bonham Carter told the PA news agency she was a huge fan of poetry and had a long association with it.

She said: “(William Sieghart and the charity) have single-handedly, together with the Forward Prizes, made people aware that poetry is something very necessary, fantastic and essential.”

Bonham Carter added that she “loves the fact that the Queen loves words” and said poetry is “absolutely therapeutic and great for mental health”.