The King and Queen watched moving performances from Shakespeare's plays as they marked the Bard's contribution to the life and culture of the nation with celebrated actors.Charles and Camilla were treated to extracts from some of the most famous scenes in the English language but the performers later joked they were more nervous of "acting royalty" in the audience than Charles and his wife.Celebrations are being staged this year to mark the 400th anniversary of the first printed edition of Shake

The King and Queen watched moving performances from Shakespeare's plays as they marked the Bard's contribution to the life and culture of the nation with celebrated actors.Charles and Camilla were treated to extracts from some of the most famous scenes in the English language but the performers later joked they were more nervous of "acting royalty" in the audience than Charles and his wife.Celebrations are being staged this year to mark the 400th anniversary of the first printed edition of Shakespeare's collection of plays, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio.It was first published in 1623, about seven years after the playwright's death, and is considered one of the most influential books ever written in the English language.Among the guests at the Windsor Castle event were some of the country's leading actors, including Dame Judi Dench and Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter Joely Richardson, and David Oyelowo.