The Queen has described her charity's mission to get people reading as "more urgent than ever," as she marked the milestone fifth anniversary of her Reading Room book club.
Camilla, 78, founded The Queen's Reading Room during the COVID-19 lockdown in January 2021, with the project starting out as an Instagram book club, where the then Duchess of Cornwall and well-renowned authors shared their literary recommendations.
Two years later, the initiative was formally launched as a registered charity under the name The Queen's Reading Room and it has gone on to host an annual literary festival, launch a podcast and introduce The Queen's Reading Room Medal to celebrate unsung local heroes who champion reading, with the first recipient due to be unveiled in the spring.
Camilla said, in remarks released to the Press Association: "Five years ago, I founded a book club in lockdown, in the hope that others might derive as much enjoyment from good literature as I do.
"Since those humble beginnings, that book club has grown into a global charity, supporting a community of book lovers, united by a shared belief in the power of reading.
"I am so proud of what my charity has achieved, reaching millions of people, staging remarkable events and partnering with incredible organisations to bring books to people who need them most.
"Its groundbreaking research has confirmed what many of us always felt: reading truly changes how we perceive, how we think and how we connect. At a time when global reading rates are at their very lowest, my charity's mission feels more urgent than ever. Books do make life better, and this is only the beginning."
© Getty ImagesCurrently, only one in two UK adults reads a book in a year, and 46 per cent of people say they struggle to finish one due to distractions around them.
The Queen's Reading Room’s motto for its birthday year is "Make Room for Reading", with a drive to encourage people to find easy ways to fit in just five minutes of reading a day, just like 10,000 daily steps or five portions of fruit and vegetables.
HELLO!'s Royal and Features Contributer Tracy Schaverien says: "The Queenhas been an avid reader her whole life, and she has made it her mission to share that with others. She's especially passionate about the benefits of reading for children - something that's apparent during her regular visits to libraries, where she often sits down to read aloud to groups of youngsters.
"When they have downtime, she and the King like nothing better than to sit quietly at home together, each of them with their nose in a good book. But reading is more than a hobby for her; she regards it as something essential to our wellbeing and it's remarkable to see what she has achieved with her Reading Room charity."
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe Queen, who is patron of several literacy organisations including the National Literacy Trust, First Story, Coram Beanstalk and Booktrust, has personally recommended 76 books over the past five years, with the initiative beginning with Dame Hilary Mantel's The Mirror And The Light, William Boyd's Restless, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak.
The charity's chief executive, Vicki Perrin, revealed that Her Majesty still personally chooses its books.
Ms Perrin said: "There’s just been so much that has been achieved and all of it really comes down to the special magic of the Queen's Reading Room, which is Her Majesty – the fact that she is this person who is so authentically passionate about literature and literacy, and about spreading the joy and love of reading."
© Getty ImagesShe added: "She founded the charity. It's very much her baby… She still chooses all of the books that are featured on the book club, and is by far the most well-read person I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
"Often, when I go in to see her, the defining image of Her Majesty is in her armchair with piles and piles of books on the side table and on the floor by her feet, and she's talking about this latest one that she's read, and she’s got a proof of a new book that's coming out, and that she’s really enjoying."
Over the past five years, the King, the Princess of Wales and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have all contributed their own selections to the book club, while more than 120 authors have recommended their favourite reads.
Charles chose a Second World War military history book, The Battle Of The Atlantic by his biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, among his choices, while Kate opted for five of her most loved children's books, including Stig Of The Dump and Charlotte's Web.
