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Yesterday afternoon at Clarence House, The Queen Consort, joined by The King, brought together authors, members of the literary community and representatives of literacy charities to celebrate the second anniversary of @TheQueensReadingRoom.

Her Majesty has long championed a love of reading across generations and, following the success of her published reading lists during the national lockdown, launched The Reading Room. The online community celebrates books from around the world and the extraordinary people who create them.

Announced today as a new charity, The Queen's Reading Room will continue to celebrate books from a diverse range of authors around the world, chosen for their literary, educative and historic merit. The charity will seek to close the gap between writers and readers through accessible, educational and free literary content available year-round through its social media and online platforms. Its purpose is to help more people find and connect with books which enrich their lives, turning them into lifelong readers.

Addressing guests at yesterday's reception, The Queen Consort said:

All of you here must take the most enormous pride in your profession and in the part that you play in bringing joy, comfort, laughter, companionship and hope through your writing. You open our eyes to others’ experiences and remind us that we are not alone. Human beings have always needed the connection of literature – its wisdom as well as its sheer escapism. In today’s challenging climate, we need it more than ever. 

"As some of you may know, my Reading Room started as a list of 9 of my favourite books, literally scribbled on a piece of paper during the first lockdown. It is now a global community of over 155,000, supported by internationally-renowned men and women of letters, as well as thousands of readers. I am now delighted to announce that the Reading Room has become a charity, working to close the gap between readers and writers and helping people of all ages and backgrounds find and connect to books. We have lots of excitements in the pipeline and I do very much hope you will be able to attend our first literary festival at Hampton Court Palace later this year, when we shall bring together some of the world’s foremost authors, actors, experts and literature lovers for a day celebrating the written word."

On the 11th of June 2023, the new charity will stage its first literary festival, ‘The Queen’s Reading Room Festival’ at Hampton Court Palace, with speakers including Dame Judi Dench, David Olusoga, Kamila Shamsie, Austentatious, Ben Macintyre and Ken Follett.

Find out more about The Queen's Reading Room.