Queen Camilla attended The Queen's Reading Room Festival at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire on Wednesday, greeting attendees as 'fellow bookworms' and apologizing for a croaky voice after days of speaking while recovering from acute sinusitis. The appearance underscored the monarch's commitment to promoting reading as a tool for wellbeing even as she recovers from illness, and came after she was forced to withdraw from the Duchess of Kent's funeral service on Tuesday due to the same ailment. Earlier in the week, she had nonetheless taken part in this week's high-profile State Visit by President Trump, signaling the delicacy with which she balances public duties with health considerations.
The festival, now in its third year, has taken up residence at Chatsworth House, one of Britain's stateliest estates, and brings together writers, actors, publishers and readers for discussions, performances and book donations. After arriving, the Queen met women taking part in one of The Queen's Reading Room's grassroots outreach programmes and joined a discussion about the positive impact of reading on mental health with participants supported by The Elm Foundation and neuroscientist Professor Sam Wass.
There, she told the audience that there is 'nothing like a book to take you away' and that reading helps with stress, offering a window into other lives and perspectives. 'It helps so much with stress. You can shut yourself away with a book, it's a safe space,' she said. The moment illustrated how the festival blends personal reflection with public advocacy for reading as a social good.
In a short speech, the Queen invoked Jane Austen on the occasion of Austen's 250th birthday, noting that 'a truth universally acknowledged that books make life better.' She argued that books enable readers to see through another’s eyes, provide comfort and encouragement, and can transport people around the world without leaving home. The Reading Room’s aims, she noted, include unlocking the transformative power of books to create a healthier, happier and more connected world — a goal she said even Elizabeth Bennet would have approved of. She also celebrated the online Reading Room, which began as a lockdown project in which she shared her nine favorite novels to inspire others to seek solace in literature. The platform is now an online community of more than 180,000, with an annual audience of about 12 million people across 183 countries.
The Queen’s Reading Room Book Donation point, opened during the festival, will collect titles donated by attendees for distribution to Elm Foundation service users, including women who have experienced domestic abuse. Camilla placed several 'golden oldies' into the donation station, including Sebastian Faulks’s Charlotte Gray, Peter James’s Dead Simple, Robert Harris’s Archangel, Miss Austen and Still Life, in a gesture aimed at supporting access to literature for vulnerable readers. She also met members of the public arriving for a screening of Pride and Prejudice on the Chatsworth lawns.
Her Majesty also hosted a reception for literary figures, where she greeted Dame Jilly Cooper with a warm kiss on each cheek and discussed Cooper’s raunchy new streaming series Rivals. Cooper, who has long been associated with the Windsors, noted that Camilla and her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, as well as their daughter, Laura Lopes, had been thrilled to be invited to a party at Cooper’s Gloucestershire home earlier this year and that they enjoy following the series. 'They enjoyed your party. They love a bit of your Rivals. Everybody’s enjoyed your Rivals,' the Queen told the author, and Cooper replied that she has been lucky and that the connection remains strong.
Dame Jilly, for her part, said that she and Camilla had long admired one another, adding that Fielding’s Bridget Jones work—popular with newer generations who appreciate its frankness and humor—reflects why audiences are rediscovering writers who mix wit with social commentary. Helen Fielding, another attendee, reflected that the ongoing dialogue around authors and screen adaptations keeps literature relevant for younger readers today.
The festival also provided a platform for public engagement. Attendees gathered for readings, talks and performances celebrating Austen’s legacy and the broader literary scene, all under the umbrella of The Queen’s Reading Room, which aims to democratize access to books and to highlight the benefits of reading for mental health and community building. While Camilla’s health remains a priority, her participation in the festival underscores her role as an advocate for literacy and the cultural sector in the United Kingdom and beyond.