Queen Camilla has explored the British Library's "Fairy Tales" exhibition as part of celebrations marking the National Year of Reading.
Her Majesty, who serves as Patron of the National Literacy Trust, ventured into the "deep dark woods" section of the family-friendly display, where she examined artefacts connected to classic tales including Little Red Riding Hood.
The visit highlighted heroes and villains from beloved magical stories.
During her time at the exhibition, the Queen watched a dress-up and storytelling session designed to demonstrate how sharing narratives can reflect evolving societal values and help people connect with causes close to their hearts.
Queen Camilla has backed a push to get children reading again at a fairy tales exhibition
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Following the exhibition, Camilla proceeded to the Library's Piazza, where she greeted around 150 youth, community and corporate volunteers taking part in The Big Lunch.
The Queen has held the role of Patron for The Big Lunch since 2013, and earlier this year joined the King at the Eden Project on March 24 to launch the 2026 Big Lunch and Big Help Out campaign.
Among those present were 40 volunteer pupil librarians from London primary schools.
These young participants had benefited from the Libraries for Primaries initiative, a partnership between the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Books established in 2021 with the goal of providing every state primary school in the UK with a dedicated library space by 2029.
The Queen has held the role of Patron for The Big Lunch since 2013
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The pupils had completed training through the programme, learning creative approaches to encourage their classmates to explore their new school libraries and develop a passion for reading through their individual interests and hobbies.
On the piazza stage, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage CBE delivered a short poem celebrating the power of storytelling.
He then introduced Maya and Latifah, London's newly appointed Young Poet Laureates, who each performed original works composed specifically for the occasion.
The two young poets, appointed in May 2026, had graduated from the National Poetry Centre x National Literacy Trust programme, which offers children and young people fresh opportunities to discover poetry within their schools and communities.
Queen Camilla is greeted by interim CEO of the British Library Jeremy Silver
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Before her departure, the National Literacy Trust revealed a new National Year of Reading Ambassador, and Camilla was invited to cut a celebratory cake.
The National Year of Reading 2026 represents the largest initiative of its kind in a generation, launched by the Department for Education in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Research from the charity indicates that reading engagement among children and young people has fallen to a two-decade low.
The campaign seeks to recruit 100,000 volunteers nationwide to inspire millions of people to embrace reading, with more than 35,000 already registered to support the effort.