I went to a fabulous party with the Queen and half of Hollywood – you’ll never guess what we talked about...

...one of Camilla’s biggest passions, writes Gyles Brandreth, who’s spilling the beans on who he saw, what they wore – and what we should all be striving for

Gyles Brandreth: ‘Last night I was invited to the most marvellous party at Clarence House, hosted by none other than the Queen herself’ (Getty Images)

I confess, I had promised to give up name-dropping for lent… but the event I am about to recall was so star-studded that I may as well throw in the towel and admit defeat. The next 600 or so words will be hugely challenging – not least because I will be name-dropping furiously henceforth.

Last night I was invited to the most marvellous party at Clarence House, hosted by none other than the Queen herself, in celebration of the results of a study carried out by her Reading Room charity, which of course is the Queen’s absolute passion.

It felt like the entire world had turned out for the occasion. Famous faces filled the room on all sides – Joanna Lumley, Helena Bonham Carter, Philippa Gregory, Michael Dobbs, Anthony Horowitz, Ian Rankin, Ken Follett; they were all there to support the Queen. What a treat it was to see the legendary Donna Tartt and king of the Netflix adaptations, Harlan Coben, who had both made the trip across the pond – especially for the bash.