Queen Camilla’s makes impassioned plea during Scottish visit

Queen Camilla has shared a heartfelt message during her latest royal engagement in Scotland.

The Queen, 77, is currently taking part in Holyrood Week alongside King Charles. On Tuesday, she carried out a solo engagement in Newbridge, Edinburgh, where she officially opened the newly rebuilt Ratho Library.

Camilla makes heartfelt appeal

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During her visit, Camilla spoke with library staff, authors and members of the local community. She praised the space and used the opportunity to highlight a cause close to her heart.

Speaking about her love of reading, the Queen said: "I wish a lot of other people would follow your example and open more libraries all over the country."

She added: "Sadly, a lot of them have been closing down. So to see something as wonderful as this being reopened is all to the credit of all of you who've made it happen."

Camilla has long championed literacy and is patron of several organisations promoting reading for all ages.

A personal passion

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The Queen met with bestselling author Paula Hawkins, 52, known for The Girl on the Train, and told her: "I'm very partial to crime novels."

She later gave a short, impromptu speech, where she praised the role libraries play in local communities: "They manage to inspire a love of reading of books, from toddlers to pensioners."

Camilla also donated a collection of books to the library during her visit.

Community effort praised

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The original Ratho Library was closed during redevelopment. In the meantime, residents used a mobile library while the new building was constructed.

The new library, which opened in the spring, has been welcomed by local residents. Edinburgh City Council has committed to keeping its 28 public libraries open and modernised, despite national closures elsewhere.

According to the BBC, over 180 council-run libraries have either shut down or been transferred to volunteers since 2016.

New project launched

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The visit also marked the launch of a new literary programme supported by the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The initiative, Paper Trails, is designed to support community reading across Edinburgh. It will operate out of five libraries, including Ratho, and use the mobile library service to reach residents in care homes and more remote areas.

The project is supported by author Sir Ian Rankin, 65, who joined Camilla during the visit.

Spotting his novels in the mobile unit, the Queen joked: "I'm sure they go down very well with the readers."

Young readers and writers

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Camilla also met a group of nursery children who share the building with the library. She read to them during the visit and chatted about their favourite books.

Later, she joined a session with budding authors from the Citizen Collective Young People's Writers Programme.

She encouraged them to keep going, saying: "I can see I've met you at very early stages in your career. Good luck."

Holyrood Week continues

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The engagement was part of a wider programme of events marking Holyrood Week, the Royal Family’s annual summer visit to Scotland.

Camilla is expected to carry out several more engagements during the week, some with King Charles and others solo.

The visit comes amid a busy summer schedule for the Royal Family, with the Princess of Wales recently returning to public duties and the family expected to spend part of the summer at Balmoral.

For Queen Camilla, it was a chance to reinforce her personal support for reading and literacy while spotlighting the impact of local libraries.

Her parting words captured the tone of the visit perfectly: "Long live the library."