Queen congratulates teenage winners of Commonwealth essay competition

The Queen congratulated “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” teenage effort prize winners by comparing them to the young writer of Mary Poppins.

Camilla has been hosting the Commonwealth’s oldest penning contention for a decennary and this year’s taxable was “our communal wealth”.

Four youngsters aged betwixt 13 and 16 – from Malaysia, Singapore and Uganda – were presented with certificates by the Queen astatine Buckingham Palace connected Thursday.

The contention received a record-breaking 34,939 entries from 54 Commonwealth countries.

Camilla said the enactment by the winners and runners-up reminded her of a connection by the writer of Mary Poppins: “A writer is, aft all, lone fractional his book. The different fractional is the reader.”

She said Pamela Travers was describing penning that “by immoderate unusual magic, makes the scholar portion of the story”, and added “This is decidedly existent of our fantastic finalists: acknowledgment to your talents, your readers are taken connected astonishing journeys with you crossed the Commonwealth.”

Camilla added: “Now, if Mary Poppins were here, I wonderment if she would beryllium telling maine to hurry up with a brisk ‘spit spot’ truthful that we tin get connected to the prize-giving. I volition truthful extremity by saying that determination is conscionable 1 connection to picture you each – but I mightiness request immoderate assistance from Gyles to get it right. You are utterly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

The Queen congratulated inferior runner-up, 13-year-old Victor Austin Kiyaga from Uganda, connected being the 2nd pupil from his schoolhouse to beryllium placed successful the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

She asked Victor: “You were astatine the aforesaid school? I don’t judge it, that’s a tiny satellite isn’t it,” and added: “I thought it was truthful clever what you wrote – I can’t judge you were astatine the aforesaid school.”

Actor Richard Ayoade work an extract from Victor’s poem and introduced it by saying “when I turn up I anticipation to beryllium arsenic bully a writer arsenic you, but I uncertainty it, due to the fact that this is tremendous”.

Victor is from Mukono and studies astatine Namilyango Junior Boys School. He writes for his schoolhouse paper and was awarded a information certificate successful the 2023 awards.

The 2 wide winners were from Malaysia, with Erynn Liew, 13, taking location the inferior prize.

Emma and Sex Education histrion Tanya Reynolds work an extract of Erynn’s penning to the crowd.

Erynn, from Puchong, started penning and doodling successful a question diary astatine the property of 4 and has since shifted her absorption to the supernatural and phantasy genres.

Camilla asked her however agelong she had been writing, and said: “Four? You conscionable kept connected going?”

She added: “Well it shows however bully you are, it’s perfectly fantastic, you indispensable person precise bully schools retired determination to assistance thatch you. That’s brilliant.”

The elder victor was Evangeline Khoo, 15, from Kuala Lumpur, who, erstwhile not writing, plays the drums and has been progressive successful storytelling and choral singing competitions successful Malay and English.

Camilla told Evangeline “you’ve got to support writing, you’ve got specified talent”, earlier saying to her begetter “you indispensable beryllium precise proud”.

“Two winners from Malaysia – that’s brilliant, perfectly brilliant”, she added.

Toby Stephens, the histrion and lad of the precocious Dame Maggie Smith, work an extract from the enactment of Cristabelle Yeo, 16, from Singapore, who was elder runner-up.

After the awards were presented, the Ngati Ranana London Maori Club performed astatine the palace and the Queen told radical members, immoderate of whom are from New Zealand: “I’ll travel and spot you again, archer maine wherever you are and I’ll travel and spot you.”