Queen’s urgent mission over reading rates as book club charity marks milestone
The Queen has described her charity’s mission to get people reading as “more urgent than ever”, saying “books do make life better” as she marked the fifth anniversary of her Reading Room book club.
Camilla, who founded The Queen’s Reading Room in lockdown, has spoken of her pride at what the charity has achieved, reaching a community of more than 186,000 book lovers in more than 180 countries, as she celebrated its milestone year.
But the King’s consort warned that, with global reading rates at their “very lowest, my charity’s mission feels more urgent than ever”.
Currently, only one in two UK adults reads a book in a year, and 46% 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.
The charity will also focus on “lighting little fires” by inspiring others to make small positive changes.
Neuroscience research by the organisation showed that just five minutes reading a work of fiction can immediately reduce stress by nearly 20%, improve concentration and focus by as much as 11%, and reduce feelings of loneliness.
Globally, Unicef found an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds in low and middle income countries around the world were unable to read and understand a simple written story in 2022, up from around 57% in the pre-pandemic, when progress had already stalled.
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.”
The Queen, an avid reader, was praised for bringing her “special magic” to the organisation by its chief executive Vicki Perrin, who said it remained “very much” Camilla’s “baby”, with the Queen still personally choosing 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.”
She 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.”
Ms Perrin spoke about the charity’s impact, adding: “We’ve had letters from people all around the world saying how transformative it’s been to get a little bit more reading into their lives.”
The Queen 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.
Among Camilla’s most popular recommendations with the book club’s readers so far have been: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz; Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell; Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo; Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier; and Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, the charity revealed.
Ms Perrin described current reading levels as a “reading crisis” and said the charity was “deeply concerned” about the falling rates among children.
The National Literacy Trust, of which Camilla is patron, reported that just one in three (32.7%) children and young people aged eight to 18 in the UK said they enjoyed reading in 2025 – the lowest level since the question was first asked in 2005.
Ms Perrin said: “We, as a charity, are obviously deeply concerned about the falling reading rates among children, just as we are among adults.”
The book project started life when Camilla shared a list of nine of her favourite books, which she previously described as being “literally scribbled on a piece of paper during the first lockdown” in 2020.
Her Reading Room book club officially launched on Instagram in January 2021, serving as a community space for book lovers and featuring Camilla’s recommendations, and interviews with authors.
The King, the Princess of Wales and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians have all contributed their own selections, 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.
In 2023, the book club became The Queen’s Reading Room charity and 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.
The charity has also donated more than 2,300 books to 11 grassroots locations, including 1,400 to inpatients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, as well as supporting reading groups at St Mungo’s homeless shelters and working with domestic violence refuges.
Ms Perrin said staff at St Mungo’s had shared how the experience of being part of a reading group had “lit something up” in some of those who were previously at extreme risk of going back onto the streets.
“It’s really about setting little fires. It’s creating those moments where we assist and help partners incubate those ideas which are going to be transformative,” she said.
Published: by Radio NewsHub