Queen Camilla has been immortalised in a cartoon strip of The Beano, appearing alongside Dennis the Menace to promote reading. During a visit to the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the 78-year-old was presented with a special comic featuring a cartoon version of herself rescuing Dennis after his mother scolded him for wearing headphones.
In the comic, Queen Camilla tells Dennis and his dog Gnasher: 'Go all in for the National Year of Reading, Dennis! Comics and audiobooks count too!' Laughing at the presentation, Camilla remarked that listening to audiobooks counts as reading, and spoke of the 'battle' of books over 'machines'.
The Queen, who has been patron of the National Literacy Trust since 2010, was at the library to launch the National Year of Reading campaign in Scotland. The campaign, with the slogan 'Go All In', aims to encourage everyone to develop a reading habit, even if for just five minutes a day. A recent research paper from the National Literacy Trust argued that activities such as scanning song lyrics and listening to audiobooks can now be classed as reading.
During a round table discussion, Camilla asked about library closures and was told that 54 libraries in Scotland have closed since 2014. She emphasised the importance of getting people to read again, saying: 'The battle against these machines. Get them back to books.'
Camilla later tried her hand at drawing Dennis the Menace and Gnasher alongside school children, with artist Nigel Auchterlounie providing a tutorial. Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, joked that Camilla's drawings were 'spectacular' and asked Auchterlounie if he was worried about his job, to which he replied: 'I am, yes!'
The Queen also met authors Sir Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, and Jackie Kay. Kay recalled a previous encounter where Camilla remembered a joke she told at a Burns Night, saying: 'She remembered and said "That made me laugh for ages!"' The visit concluded with a group photo on the library stairs.
