Duchess Camilla leads New Years honours list as she's made a Royal Lady by the Queen

The Queen has announced her New Years honours list, with The Duchess of Cornwall becoming a Royal Lady. 

• Camilla will now hold the official title of Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
• The title is one of the highest honours bestowed by the Queen in her New Years honours list.
• In other royal news, the hardest working royal, of 2021, has been revealed.

Every year the Queen announces her New Years honours list—and this year, among celebrities and Covid experts, she has also awarded one to Duchess Camilla.

Introduced by King Edward III in 1348, the Most Noble Order of the Garter is seen as the highest British civil and military honor. Other royals that have held the title include Prince Philip, who in 1947 was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter by King George VI.

Camilla has grown incredibly close to the Queen since she married Prince Charles in 2005—with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall even spending Christmas Day with the Queen.

Her Majesty has no doubt also awarded the Duchess the title due to her charity work in the last few years—while Camilla also stepped up her royal duties when the Queen was taken ill earlier this year.

It's been a busy year for Camilla, with her and Charles's first major overseas royal tour to the Middle East and even launching an online book club which she promotes on her reading room Instagram page.

In November last year, Camilla was even dubbed a “beacon in the dark” by fans as she launched #16days of activism to help combat violence against women and girls.

As the President of the WoW Foundation, she marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by sharing deeply personal answers to eight questions about sexual and physical assault, from eight remarkable women.

Other notable honors have been given to Covid scientists, sports stars and celebrities. Prof Chris Whitty and Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, scientists who have presented information about the pandemic, have been knighted.

Sports stars have been recognized too—with Olympic diving hero Tom Daley given an OBE and Emma Raducanu, the first British woman in 44 years to win a Grand Slam title, when she won the US Open earlier this year, was awarded an MBE.