The Guardian

London, March 12:

At Elizabeth’s luncheon, Charlotte was dying to speak to Joanne, Cherie was thrilled to be called by her maiden name and Kate wowed them all in a divine little number. In royal blue.

Over sauteed loin of lamb and passion fruit cheesecake, the cream of British womanhood joined Her Majesty the Queen yesterday for an historic girls-only lunch to celebrate female achievement.

Celebrities including the teenage singer Charlotte Church and the former model Heather Mills McCartney mingled with artists, academics, sports stars and Britain’s first female train driver at Buckingham Palace to mark the achievements of women, often in the face of adversity.

About 180 women were invited to the first event of its kind in royal circles, where the phrase “girl power” has entered the lexicon.

The Queen and the Princess Royal had spent the morning on a building site meeting female trainee carpenters and plumbers.

Cherie Booth QC said the whole experience had been ‘fantastic’, adding: “I hope it’s going to be an annual event. There are so many fantastic people here. I think it’s very important we celebrate women’s achievements. The leader of the country is a woman - the Queen.” She was delighted that the guest list did not merely describe her as the prime minister’s wife, but highlighted her success in employment and discrimination law.

Charlotte Church felt unworthy, “when all I do is sing”. She said she most wanted to meet JK Rowling, but was too nervous to approach her. Later they were spotted deep in conversation.

The model Kate Moss, in a royal blue outfit that matched the Queen’s, chatted to the Countess of Wessex.

Lady Boothroyd, the first female speaker of the House of Commons, said she was using the lunch as an opportunity to catch up with old friends such as Norma Major, wife of former prime minister John Major. It was the less well-known faces who had the most interesting stories.

Leah Pattison, 32, a charity worker known as the Angel of Nagpur for her work in India helping people with leprosy, said she hoped the lunch would highlight the fight against the disease.

“It’s terrifying because I feel like a fish out of water,” she said. “I just came back from India

last week and this is such a different environment. It’s a great privilege.”

Dame Anne McLaren, a human embryologist who works for cancer charities, felt the event could have been be more multicultural. The Glasgow University sociologist Barbara Littlewood said the Queen had assembled an “interesting collection” of women. “It is an attempt to make the monarchy seem kind of hip and relevant,” she said.