Queen Camilla opens up about dealing with 'several naysayers' in royal speech

“As some of you may know, my Reading Room started, humbly (and in the face of several naysayers), as a list of nine of my favourite novels, scribbled into my notepad during the first lockdown,” she told guests gathered in a grand marquee on the estate’s lawns.

What began as a modest list has since grown into an international platform. “It’s now an online community of over 180,000 – with an annual audience of 12 million people from 183 countries – supported by a very special array of literary and literacy friends,” the Queen said.

The festival, now in its third year, celebrates books and reading and showcases the charity’s outreach programmes.

Camilla met local groups supported by The Queen’s Reading Room, watched a performance of Jane Austen’s work, and joined a reception with writers and actors, including Celia Imrie and Richard Osman.

In a speech laced with humour and Austen references, the Queen highlighted the mental and emotional benefits of reading.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that books make life better,” she said.

“They allow us to see through another’s eyes, they comfort and encourage us, make us laugh, make us cry and free us to travel the globe without stepping outside our front doors.

“Moreover, scientific research by my Reading Room shows that books have significant benefits for both our brains and our emotions.

“Our aim is to unlock their transformative power to create a healthier, happier and more connected world – a world I hope that even Lizzie Bennet would have approved of.”

Camilla also lightened the mood with a nod to one of television’s most famous literary moments, suggesting Chatsworth’s lake might host a re-enactment of the BBC Pride and Prejudice scene in which Mr Darcy emerges from the water.

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“Maybe, William, you could be persuaded to re-enact this memorable moment in the lake here a little later on – to add to the excitement of the day?!” she quipped.

The Queen closed her remarks by thanking festival guests — “writers, actors, publishers and, of course, readers” — and teasing the estate’s host: “I shall therefore stop, in case William feels the need to interrupt me with a sardonic, ‘You have delighted us long enough’.”

Her comments offered a rare glimpse of the early doubts she faced and the determination that turned a lockdown idea into a worldwide literary movement.