Why Queen Camilla Met up With a Spice Girl at Buckingham Palace

When Queen Camilla invited this Spice Girl to the palace, she said she'd be there.

Geri Halliwell-Horner, better known as Ginger Spice, joined The Queen for a special Buckingham Palace reception on Thursday, Nov. 21 to honor young writers from across the Commonwealth of Nations. The pop star—who has long been an advocate of literacy-based charities—was one of the famous faces who celebrated winners and finalists of the 2024 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

Although Queen Camilla was forced to cancel her appearance at the Royal Variety Performance on Nov. 22 due to a "lingering" chest infection, she appeared to be in good spirits as she chatted with the "Say You'll Be There" singer at Thursday's reception. The two are already well acquainted, as Halliwell-Horner serves an ambassador for the Royal Commonwealth Society, where she advocates for literacy in the U.K.

And Queen Camilla isn't the only royal the star has worked with; the Spice Girl teamed up with Prince William to launch his Homewards program to end homelessness in 2023.

Along with being a member of one of the most iconic pop groups of all time, the singer serves as an ambassador for numerous charities such as the United Nations Population Fund. As well promoting literacy in the U.K., she works with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in the United States.

During Thursday's reception, Queen Camilla paid tribute to the winners of the 2024 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, which, per Buckingham Palace, was launched in 1883 and is the world’s oldest writing competition for schools. Two winners were chosen—one in the senior category and one in the junior category—from nearly 35,000 entries around the world.

During her speech, Camilla shared a tidbit about the late Queen Mother, stating that she was given a copy of Mary Poppins "from 1934, the year it was published, that belonged to my husband's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, which, in a moment, you can all have a look at."

As for Halliwell-Horner, she's not the first Spice Girl to have a brush with royalty. In 2018, the pop star shared an adorable photo of the entire group posing with a young Prince Harry and King Charles during the '90s, and of course, Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice) has attended the royal weddings of both Prince Harry and Prince William.

And while Queen Camilla might be missing out on the 2024 Royal Variety Performance, it turns out the Spice Girls once took the stage at the event—and shook hands with Queen Elizabeth—during the Royal Variety Charity's 1997 performance.