Queen Camilla has issued a stark warning, describing her mission to encourage reading as "more urgent than ever" as global reading rates hit their lowest point. The statement comes as her charitable initiative, The Queen's Reading Room, marks its fifth anniversary.
A Charity Born From Lockdown
The Queen founded the project during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, initially sharing a handwritten list of nine favourite books. It officially launched as an Instagram book club in January 2021 and has since grown into a global charity, reaching a community of 186,000 book lovers across more than 180 countries.
Over the past five years, Camilla has personally recommended 76 books. The initiative has also featured selections from King Charles, the Princess of Wales, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, with over 120 authors contributing their favourite reads.
The Alarming Decline in Reading
The Queen's urgent call to action is backed by concerning statistics. Currently, only one in two adults in the UK reads a book in a year, with 46 per cent stating they struggle to finish one due to distractions.
The situation among children is described as a crisis by the charity's chief executive, Vicki Perrin. The National Literacy Trust, of which Camilla is patron, reported that in 2025, just one in three children and young people aged eight to 18 said they enjoyed reading – the lowest level since records began in 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 fresh drive encourages people to find simple ways to fit in just five minutes of reading daily, likening it to achieving 10,000 steps or eating five portions of fruit and vegetables.
The charity cites neuroscience research showing that five minutes of reading fiction can:
- Reduce stress by nearly 20 per cent.
- Improve concentration and focus by up to 11 per cent.
- Reduce feelings of loneliness.
In a personal statement, Queen Camilla reflected: "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... 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 charity has expanded significantly, now hosting an annual literary festival, launching a podcast, and introducing The Queen’s Reading Room Medal to celebrate local reading champions. It has also donated more than 2,300 books to grassroots locations, including hospitals, homeless shelters, and domestic violence refuges.
Ms Perrin praised the Queen's deep personal involvement, noting Camilla still chooses every book featured and is "by far the most well-read person I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet." She described a defining image of the Queen surrounded by piles of books, eagerly discussing her latest read.
