Queen Camilla Shares Royal Couple’s Evening Reading Ritual in BBC Documentary Promoting Reading for Pleasure

London: Britain’s Queen Camilla has revealed that she and King Charles spend their evenings reading together before dinner, a quiet time often interrupted by either his laughter or her tears. She made the remarks in a documentary aimed at reversing the decline in reading for enjoyment in the United Kingdom.

Offering a rare glimpse into the couple’s private life at Clarence House, the Queen said that when she is deep in a book she will sometimes hear the King roaring with laughter, which she finds very off-putting. At other times, she said, she will suddenly start weeping over her own book.

According to the Queen, when the King laughs out loud she knows he is reading P.G. Wodehouse, creator of the “Jeeves and Wooster” stories. She said he also enjoys biographies, while she prefers historical fiction and thrillers. She also described how books helped her father during the Second World War.

The Queen, 79, has been a keen reader all her life. She said that because she left school quite young, reading has formed most of her education and taught her a great deal about people and life. She added that reading relieves stress because it allows a person to immerse themselves in other people’s lives instead of thinking about themselves.

After the success of a book club she set up on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Queen launched a charity, the Queen’s Reading Room, three years ago to promote the benefits of reading.

The documentary, “The Book That Changed My Life,” will air on the BBC on Wednesday. It comes amid growing concern about young people’s reading habits in Britain. According to the National Literacy Trust, the share of children and young people who enjoy reading fell last year to its lowest level in 20 years. The Trust is now working with the government and the Queen’s charity to reverse the trend.