WELCOME to the QUEEN'S READING ROOM
The charity and book club of Her Majesty Queen Camilla, championing literature in the UK and beyond.
Play VideoWith their extraordinary power to educate and inspire, books – from authors around the globe – have enriched my life since I was a child. It has therefore been such a joy to watch my Reading Room grow over the years into a thriving book community. Now a charity, I hope that we, together with our partners, can foster in adults and children alike a lifelong love of literature and connect more people with that special magic that can only be found in the leaves of a book.
~ Her Majesty Queen Camilla
The Queen’s Reading Room is the charity working to celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading and is on a mission to help more people find and connect with books which enrich their lives.
It was formed from Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s book club, which launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The club quickly grew into a global online community, as we shared unique insights and conversations with authors selected by The Former Duchess of Cornwall.
Soon, we began to hear from people around the world – telling us that reading was making their lives better – and reinforcing our belief that books make us happier, healthier and better connected by boosting our mental health, brain health and social connectedness.
As a charity, we produce accessible, free educational content around literature 365 days a year through our social channels and website; as well as literary festivals and events; research and campaigns. Join us in reading the selected books each season, or delve into this website to discover reading recommendations, author interviews, never-before-seen archive and lots more. Find out more here and discover interviews with The Queen on her passion for books.
The Queen’s Reading Room Podcast
The Queen’s Reading Room Podcast is a place for book lovers – and those who wish they loved literature a little more – to be inspired by the bookish confessions of global literary heroes. Authors from all over the world have shared their own literary treasures with us; revealing their favourite writers, most treasured books and earliest reading memories. This series delves into the homes and hearts of the authors that we love the most.
Episode 1
Marian Keyes
Episode 2
Dermot O’Leary
Episode 3
Malorie Blackman
Episode 4
Kate Atkinson
Episode 5
Min Jin Lee
Episode 6
Louise Kennedy
Episode 7
Bernardine Evaristo
Friends of The Queen’s Reading Room Recommend
Stay on your reading journey and be inspired by reading recommendations from your favourite authors and these lovers of literature
His Majesty King Charles III
Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians
Bernardine Evaristo
Kazuo Ishiguro
Elif Shafak
Treasures from the Library
Explore some of the UK’s most important and rarely seen books and manuscripts
Books keep our minds fresh and our hearts open.
There is perhaps no greater exercise in empathy than reading a book: placing oneself in another’s shoes, travelling the world and meeting its people. Reading teaches us the value and power of our imagination, as our minds paint pictures to the words and conjure new worlds we may never have dreamed of. And when we realise that power, young or old, who knows what we can achieve. Finding a great book is special; but coming together over a shared love of a story is a very precious thing indeed.
Check out our Books page for stories to make your soul soar, expand your horizons, or simply provide a gentle comfort in times when the world seems dark. Read along with us on our Instagram page, where writers and readers interact, where the reading experience is enriched by education, and where the love of a great story is shared.
Find your next book
Click on each book to access background and exclusive content to enrich your reading experience.
Enjoy interviews with authors, historians, academics and experts.
The Hare With Amber Eyes
By Edmund de Waal
Publish Date: 2011 Awards: 2011 Costa Book Award; 2011 the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize
264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox: Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in his great uncle Iggie’s Tokyo apartment. When he later inherited the ‘netsuke’, they unlocked a story…
You Are Here
By David Nicholls
Publish Date: 2024
Marnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that increasingly feels like it’s passing her by. Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife’s departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on…
