THE PLAY'S THE THING FOR THE KING AND QUEEN SENIOR ROYALS CELEBRATE THE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE WITH SOME OF BRITAIN'S TOP ACTORS

'I thought it was going to be like Strictly, with Judi Dench holding up a card with a seven on it' Lucy Phelps

- DANIELLE STACEY

The King and Queen were joined by a star-studded line-up to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio at a special reception at Windsor Castle.

Accompanied by the Duchess of Edinburgh, Their Majesties greeted guests including Dame Judi Dench, Helena Bonham Carter and Dame Vanessa Redgrave ahead of performances from a host of the country's leading actors.

The Queen, whose 76th birthday the previous day was marked with a 41-gun salute in London's Green Park, was elegant in a cobalt-blue dress from Fiona Clare.

The royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, enjoyed front-row seats to see stars including Lucy Phelps, Sir Simon Russell Beale and Dame Harriet Walter perform extracts from Macbeth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra and The Tempest.

A TRULY ROYAL PERFORMANCE