Queen Camilla has issued a stark warning, describing her mission to encourage reading as "more urgent than ever" as global reading rates plummet to their "very lowest" levels. The statement coincides with the fifth anniversary of her book club charity, The Queen's Reading Room, which she founded during the 2020 lockdown.
A Charity Born from Lockdown
What began as a simple list of nine favourite books, "literally scribbled on a piece of paper" during the first Covid-19 lockdown, has blossomed into a global literary force. Officially launched on Instagram in January 2021, the initiative has grown into a registered charity, fostering a community of 186,000 book lovers across more than 180 countries.
Over the past five years, the Queen has personally recommended 76 books. The project has also featured selections from King Charles, the Princess of Wales, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, alongside recommendations from over 120 authors.
The 'Deeply Concerning' Reading Crisis
The anniversary drive comes against a troubling backdrop. The charity's chief executive, Vicki Perrin, labelled current reading levels a "crisis," expressing deep concern over falling rates, particularly among children. Only one in two UK adults now reads a book in a year, with 46 per cent stating distractions prevent them from finishing one.
Furthermore, a report from the National Literacy Trust, of which Camilla is patron, revealed that in 2025, just one in three children and young people aged eight to 18 said they enjoyed reading—the lowest level recorded since 2005.
The 'Make Room for Reading' Campaign
To combat this decline, The Queen's Reading Room has adopted a new motto for its milestone year: "Make Room for Reading." The charity is promoting the idea of fitting in just five minutes of reading daily, comparing it to achieving 10,000 steps or eating five portions of fruit and vegetables.
This simple goal is backed by neuroscience research cited by the charity, which shows that five minutes of reading fiction can reduce stress by nearly 20 per cent, improve concentration by up to 11 per cent, and lessen feelings of loneliness.
"Books do make life better, and this is only the beginning," the Queen asserted in her statement. She reflected on the charity's growth from a lockdown book club to an organisation that has staged events, launched a podcast, and will soon award its first Queen’s Reading Room Medal to local reading champions.
The charity's practical work includes donating more than 2,300 books to 11 grassroots locations, supporting reading groups in homeless shelters and domestic violence refuges, and providing 1,400 books to inpatients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Ms Perrin praised Camilla's hands-on involvement, noting the Queen still personally chooses every book featured. She described a defining image of Her Majesty surrounded by piles of books, passionately discussing her latest read. For Camilla, this mission, born from a personal love of literature, has now become a vital response to a growing national and global challenge.
