Queen Camilla ignored the ongoing drama surrounding Prince Harry's return to the United Kingdom on Tuesday as she made a surprise appearance at Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. The visit, held to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Winnie the Pooh book published in 1926, saw the Queen engage in a wholesome engagement focused on literature and nature.
Queen Plays Pooh Sticks with Young Poets
During her visit, Queen Camilla played a game of 'Pooh Sticks' at the famous 'Poohsticks Bridge', where author A. A. Milne played the game with his son, Christopher Robin. She was joined by three children who had recently won a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed poetry competition organised by Ashdown Forest in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund, of which the Queen is Patron.
The poetry competition winners were accompanied by notable children's authors including Dame Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler, Jane Riordan, Sita Brahmachari, and Cerrie Burnell. Also present was Edward Kemp, chief executive of the Royal Literary Fund.
Unveiling the Queen's Walk Trail
At 'The Enchanted Place', where Christopher Robin said goodbye to Pooh at the end of the book series, Camilla visited the A. A. Milne & E. H. Shepard Memorial and met staff, volunteers, and local schoolchildren. She concluded the visit by unveiling a new trail named the 'Queen's Walk', designed to improve accessibility to the forest for future generations.
Between 1925 and 1940, Milne lived near Ashdown Forest with his son, and their walks provided the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood. The rights to the Pooh books were left to his family, the Royal Literary Fund, and other organisations upon his death in 1956. Since 1972, the estate has generated £91 million for the Royal Literary Fund, supporting authors' grants, education, and outreach programmes.
Royal Literary Fund's Impact
Each year, the Royal Literary Fund distributes over £7 million through grants and various education, community, and workplace programmes. The Fellowship scheme has created earning opportunities for over 750 professional writers at more than 100 universities and institutions across the UK.
Queen's Lifelong Passion for Reading
Queen Camilla, a passionate and lifelong reader, launched the Queen's Reading Room in January 2021, which recommends new reads monthly. The initiative offers exclusive content and is, in her own words, “a resource, a reassurance and a refuge to all book lovers”. She previously said: “If you learn to read, however difficult your life is at the time, you can pick up a book and you can escape. You can laugh, you can cry, it just takes you out of the real world, and it gives you a different dimension to life.”
