Queen Camilla has issued an urgent call to action, declaring a global crisis in reading as new evidence reveals engagement with books has sunk to its lowest level on record. The 78-year-old royal made the stark warning as she celebrated the fifth anniversary of her own literacy charity and online book club, The Queen's Reading Room, vowing it would do everything possible to reverse the alarming trend.
A Disturbing Decline in Reading for Pleasure
The Queen's concerns are backed by sobering statistics from The National Literacy Trust, of which she is patron. Their latest report shows that in 2025, just one in three (32.7%) children and young people aged eight to 18 in the UK said they enjoyed reading. This marks the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 2005.
The problem is not confined to the young. Among UK adults, only half now read a book in a given year. Furthermore, 46% of people report struggling to finish a book, citing constant distractions in their environment as a primary barrier.
The crisis has a devastating global dimension. A recent Unicef study found that an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds in low and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple story. This figure represents a staggering increase from approximately 57% before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Queen's Reading Room: From Lockdown Project to Global Force
Marking her charity's milestone, Queen Camilla reflected on its origins. "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," she said. "Since those humble beginnings, that book club has grown into a global charity."
The initiative began with ideas "literally scribbled on a piece of paper" during the first Covid lockdown. Officially launching on Instagram in January 2021, it has since blossomed into a community of over 186,000 followers across 180 countries. It has evolved into a registered charity, an annual literary festival, and has donated more than 2,300 books to 11 grassroots locations.
"I am so proud of what my charity has achieved," the Queen stated. "Its groundbreaking research has confirmed what many of us always felt: reading truly changes how we perceive, how we think and how we connect."
'Make Room for Reading': A Mission for Modern Times
With the motto 'Make Room for Reading' for its anniversary year, the charity is campaigning for people to find just five minutes a day for a book, likening it to a daily wellness goal. Neuroscience research commissioned by The Queen's Reading Room supports this, showing that five minutes of reading fiction can reduce stress by nearly 20% and improve concentration by 11%.
Chief executive Vicki Perrin revealed the project remains very much the Queen's "baby," with Camilla still personally curating all the recommended reading lists. "She is by far the most well-read person I've ever had the pleasure to meet," Perrin said, describing an image of the Queen surrounded by piles of books.
Over five years, Queen Camilla has personally recommended 76 books. Popular choices with the club's members have included Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other, and classic novels like Rebecca and Pride and Prejudice.
Confronting what she termed a "reading crisis," Perrin said the charity was "deeply concerned" about falling rates among children. Queen Camilla concluded with a resolute message: "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."
