NEED TO KNOW

  • Queen Camilla made a royal visit to the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London on Thursday, Sept. 4, to help open a new Artplay Pavilion and Sculpture Garden
  • She was joined by a group of year two students from the nearby Dulwich Village Church of England Infants’ School, who helped her test out the new attractions
  • Camilla even joined a group of students to see how many people they could fit into a classic British telephone booth

Queen Camilla may be a senior royal, but she’s not above a bit of silliness during an official visit.

The Queen, 78, visited the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London on Thursday, Sept. 4, to help open a new Artplay Pavilion and Sculpture Garden. As the attractions are aimed at children, she was joined by students from the nearby Dulwich Village Church of England Infants’ School, who helped her cut the ribbon on the new exhibits and had some fun along the way.

The grounds of the gallery feature an original red telephone box. The phone box has an important connection to its location, as the man who designed the K2 model of classic British phone boxes, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, drew inspiration from the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s mausoleum when creating its unique shape.

This history lesson was not, however, the focus of the year two students, who clamored towards the phone box with Camilla in tow to try out a British tradition.

“Let’s see how many we can get in there,” the Queen suggested. After six children were able to fit themselves inside, she asked to join them. “Do you think I can come in too?”

Queen Camilla joins pupils from Dulwich Village Infants’ School inside a telephone box during her visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery on Sept. 4, 2025.

Jonathan Brady-WPA Pool/Getty

The group also tested out a new bridge and several indoor activities. However, the Queen drew the line when it came to going down a surreally designed red slide.

 “I’m not trying that out, though,” she said with a laugh.

The school’s Instagram account shared several more shots from their day with the queen, saying the phone box stunt was also a favorite moment.

“An amazing morning @dulwichgallery for the opening of their ArtPlay Pavilion!” they captioned a series of photos from the day. “HRH Queen Camilla opened the beautiful play space and @dulwich_village_infants got to join in as well! 7 children and The Queen in a telephone box was a highlight!”

Queen Camilla observes year two students playing on a new attraction at the Dulwich Picture Gallery on Sept. 4, 2025.

Jonathan Brady-WPA Pool/Getty

The Queen returned to royal duties earlier this week, following a summer break with her husband, King Charles, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, she visited several of her royal patronages in Cornwall, meeting with locals, checking in with various charities and even formally naming a new rescue helicopter “The Duke of Cornwall.”

Queen Camilla on Sept. 4, 2025.

Jonathan Brady-WPA Pool/Getty

King Charles was the Duke of Cornwall from 1952 until 2022, when he acceded to the throne. The title then passed to his son, Prince William.

Camilla wasn’t the only royal who had official duties on Thursday. William and Kate Middleton both 43, paid a visit to the Natural History Museum’s newly transformed gardens in their first joint outing following summer break.

However, while the visit included an educational tour, meetings with local schoolchildren and even an unexpected downpour, the standout moment was the debut of Kate’s new hairstyle.

After hints of a hair transformation during a brief appearance in August, Thursday’s outing confirmed that the Princess of Wales is now sporting lengthy, highlighted tresses — her blondest and longest style ever.

Kate Middleton on Sept. 4, 2025.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

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Neville Tucker, a former favorite hairstylist of Queen Elizabeth, said Kate’s new look was likely to start a trend.

“Kate’s gone for a strong look that is really noticeably different to how we are used to seeing her,” he told Vanity Fair. “She has been playing with blonde tones for a while, but last year she was the darkest she had been in a while. It makes the change quite dramatic, I would say this is the blondest we have seen her. She looks as though she’s had a full set of highlights.”

“The trend prior to this was brunette, and Kate really championed that natural brunette look. It was seen as more fashionable, but with Kate going blonder, it’s likely to spark a trend where more people are going to be asking for blonde or honey-toned highlights.”