Queen Camilla has made a passionate plea for children to swap their smartphones for books, warning of a reading crisis among young people. Speaking at the grand final of the BBC 500 Words competition at Windsor Castle, she told the audience: “I think to get children reading and writing stories, especially nowadays, is so important. Also, it gives them time to get away from some of their phones.”
The intervention comes as new figures from the National Literacy Trust show that only 33 per cent of children over eight enjoy reading in their free time, down from 51 per cent two decades ago. The trust also found that fewer than one in five eight-to-18-year-olds read something daily in their free time, the lowest level ever recorded. A separate report by early years charity Kindred Squared revealed that almost one in three children start primary school struggling to hold books correctly, with many attempting to swipe or tap pages as if they were a phone or tablet.
The Queen, who has been patron of the National Literacy Trust since 2015, praised the 50 finalists of the competition, telling them: “Through the magic of your pens and devices, you have brought your imaginations to life and led your readers on breath-taking explorations.” Quoting AA Milne, she added: “Always remember: ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think’…which makes you all winners.”
The Department for Education has joined with the trust to declare 2026 a “national year of reading”, with events planned to reverse the trend. Earlier this year, the government introduced tougher Ofsted inspections on mobile phone use in schools, requiring inspectors to examine phone policies on every visit.
This year’s BBC 500 Words competition received more than 46,500 entries from across the UK, with six young authors crowned winners. Their stories, ranging from Mars space travel to haunted fairgrounds, were read by celebrities including Jodie Whittaker, Joanna Page, and Bradley and Barney Walsh.
