Queen Camilla has issued an urgent call to action, declaring a critical need to encourage people to pick up a book. Her stark warning comes as alarming new evidence reveals that global reading rates have fallen to their lowest recorded levels, with children and young people showing a particularly concerning decline.
A Reading Room Born From Lockdown
Marking the fifth anniversary of her online book club and charity, The Queen's Reading Room, the 78-year-old royal reflected on its humble origins. The initiative was conceived during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, born from Camilla's simple desire to share her love of literature during a grim period of confinement.
"Five years ago, I founded a book club in lockdown, in the hope that others might derive as much enjoyment from good literature as I do," the Queen stated. What began as ideas scribbled on paper has blossomed into a global charity with a community of book lovers across 180 countries.
The Stark Statistics of a Reading Crisis
The Queen's plea is underscored by deeply worrying data from The National Literacy Trust, of which she is patron. Their research found that in 2025, just 32.7% of children and young people aged eight to 18 in the UK said they enjoyed reading. This is the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 2005.
The problem extends beyond the young. Currently, only half of UK adults read a book in a year, with 46% admitting they struggle to finish one due to constant distractions. The crisis is global in scale. A recent Unicef report estimated that 70% of 10-year-olds in low and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple story, a dramatic rise from approximately 57% before the pandemic.
A Mission to 'Make Room for Reading'
In response, The Queen's Reading Room has adopted the motto 'Make Room for Reading' for its anniversary year. The charity is launching a drive to encourage people to find just five minutes a day for reading, likening it to the familiar goals of 10,000 daily steps or eating five portions of fruit and vegetables.
This simple act, the charity's own neuroscience research suggests, can have profound effects. Just five minutes of reading fiction can reduce stress by nearly 20%, improve concentration by up to 11%, and lessen feelings of loneliness.
Queen Camilla remains intimately involved in the charity she describes as her "baby." Chief executive Vicki Perrin revealed that the Queen personally selects every book featured in the club's recommendations, having personally endorsed 76 titles over five years. Popular picks with members have included Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet and Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other.
To date, the charity's practical work has seen it donate more than 2,300 books to 11 grassroots locations, stage literary festivals, and foster a worldwide community. Yet, with reading rates in freefall, Camilla believes the mission has never been more critical. "At a time when global reading rates are at their very lowest, my charity's mission feels more urgent than ever," she asserted. "Books do make life better, and this is only the beginning."
