The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room officially launched today with the announcement of Camilla’s first four book choices, including one about the court of Henry VIII.
For the inaugural season of the project, the duchess has chosen The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Restless by William Boyd and The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak.
“To me, reading is a great adventure,” the Duchess of Cornwall said. “I’ve loved it since I was very small and I’d love for everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do. You can escape, and you can travel, and you can laugh, and you can cry. There’s every kind of emotion humans experience in a book.”
Camilla has chosen a piece of royal historical fiction for the first book of the winter season, selecting the latest in Man Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel’s popular series set in Tudor England.
About The Mirror and the Light, the Duchess of Cornwall said: “Well worth the wait for the stunning conclusion to her brilliant Wolf Hall trilogy, depicting the final stages of Thomas Cromwell’s dramatic rise and fall in the court of Henry VIII.”
Long a supporter of books and literacy, the Duchess of Cornwall announced the Reading Room project on New Year’s Day with Clarence House calling the space a place “for book lovers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.”
Before the season officially launched, Camilla shared an initial recommendation, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy, and joined the author for a video chat about his writing and illustrations. Additional author chats will take place as the winter season continues and each book in the Reading Room is accompanied by a digital book club kit including questions you can use to ponder the selections and discuss with friends.
Follow the Duchess of Cornwall’s literary adventures on the Reading Room’s official Instagram account.
