The Queen met Peter Rabbit as she wished the UK’s largest children’s reading charity a “happy 100th birthday”. Camilla attended a reception at Clarence House on Tuesday where she met authors and supporters of BookTrust, including the charity’s president Sir Michael Morpurgo, Dame Floella Benjamin and Richard Osman.
The royal, who is BookTrust’s patron, also met a performer dressed in a Peter Rabbit costume and cut a cake in the shape of a book to celebrate the charity’s centenary. Giving remarks after the reception, Camilla wished a “happy 100th birthday to everybody involved in BookTrust”.
Following a speech by Sir Michael, Camilla said: “I wouldn’t be standing here now if I hadn’t been read to as a child. We were read to by my father every night and it just shows how important it is.” She added: “Especially in this day of phones, where a lot of children aren’t reading as much as they should be, as we’ve seen by the statistics – it’s even more important now to start them at an early age and get them reading all the way through their lives.”
Sir Michael said it was “huge” for the charity to have Camilla’s support, adding: “The Queen has taken it to heart. I think it was always there from the out – she loved books when she was young and she has chosen to focus her enthusiasm on this and it lifts spirits.”
Through its programme Bookstart Baby, BookTrust works to provide a book for every child in the UK before their first birthday – with this year’s book being a new Peter Rabbit title called Four Happy Bunnies. BookTrust co-chief executive Annie Crombie said it “means so much” to have the Queen as a supporter, noting her “broader championing of reading”.
