Camilla takes personal treasures for Antiques Roadshow valuation

Queen consort takes a snuffbox and a copy of Elegy in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray

Queen Consort Camilla with BBC presenter Fiona Bruce on the the Antiques Roadshow at the Eden Project in Cornwall. PA

Queen Consort Camilla has taken two treasured items to be valued by experts on the Antiques Roadshow.

While she may be less concerned about the actual value than many guests on the show, the programme’s experts could still provide valuable insights into the items.

She took a rare snuffbox from the Royal Collection made from Cornish silver and a copy of Elegy in a Country Churchyard by poet Thomas Gray.

“The queen consort was just terrific fun. She put everyone at ease and was keen to take part in the programme and chat to everyone,” said presenter Fiona Bruce.

“The members of the public that came along with their items that day got a bit more than they bargained for as they had no idea the queen consort was coming!”

Silver specialist Duncan Campbell was thrilled with the snuffbox and said it was the first all-English silver box he has seen.

Books expert Justin Croft also admired Queen Consort Camilla's copy of Gray's work as she describes her love for the poem and her interest in the book's special binding, which was done in 1899 by the Guild of Women Binders.

The episode was filmed in Cornwall at the Eden Project last September.

In another segment, the queen consort and Ms Bruce try to guess the true purpose of three unusual items offered up by jewellery specialist Geoffrey Munn.

Among the items is a piece of rock crystal, a silver plaque decorated with a pair of eyes and two jewelled arrows.

Ms Bruce also discussed the queen consort's links to the Eden Project and her support for The Big Lunch, a charity based there which encourages people to come together with their local community to share a meal.

The Cornish attraction's two enormous “biome” greenhouses hosted the show's various experts, and crowds of local people also brought their family heirlooms to be valued.

During the visit, the queen consort also stopped to talk to members of the public including 16-year-old Dylan Kilpatrick and his mother Amanda Fishlock, from Cornwall, who had brought along a painting by their ancestor, 19th century artist Robert Ponsonby Staples, featuring a family on a seaside outing.

Ms Fishlock explained the artist was a relative on her mother's side, which is how the painting came to be in their possession.

When asked what the queen consort had thought of the painting, Mr Dylan said: “She said she was jealous, she said she really liked the figure in the foreground.”