THE Queen Consort declared that the Christmas season has officially begun as she enjoyed the first of an annual visit from an Oxfordshire charity at Clarence House.

Young people from two charities which care for seriously ill children hung festive trinkets on the tree, with Camilla's equerry Captain Ed Andersen at one point using his sword to place them high up on a branch.

Participants at Wednesday's event (December 7) included families supported by Helen and Douglas House, which cares for terminally ill children and their loved ones from Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties, and those supported by Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity which provides specialist nurses and support to seriously ill children with some of the most complex health conditions in the UK.

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As Camilla met the charity's bosses, the Band of the Welsh Guards performed Once In Royal David's City.

Camilla, patron of both organisations and hosting the annual event for the first time since become Queen Consort, thanked the charities' staff for the work they do and the respite they give parents.

She said: "It's always a treat for me to start the Christmas season here, it literally kicks it off for us. And I'd really like to say a huge thank you to all of you because I'm sure all the parents here are so indebted to what both the charities do for your lovely children.

"So I'd just like to wish you all a very, very happy Christmas."

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At one point Camilla helped to hand out plates of specially made dishes including sausage and mash in the dining room to suit each child's dietary requirements.

The children got a special surprise when they went outside to be greeted by two reindeer - Dancer and Blitzen.

Camilla joined the young people as some of them fed the animals lichen - known as reindeer moss.

Camilla told Gwendolyn Dainty from Oxfordshire that her tiara was ‘very pretty’. The girl's mother Kieri said her daughter had insisted on wearing it to meet a real queen.

Mrs Dainty described the event as ‘really special’.

She said: "It's lovely because I think for a lot of parents of children with needs it can be quite lonely, so to do something like this is really special."

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She praised Helen and Douglas House for being ‘incredible’ with her daughter, who lives with a number of conditions including cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Its chief executive, Clare Periton, said the event is ‘absolutely magical’ for the children and that there is ‘extra excitement’ this year.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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