Camilla's commitment to her cause: Queen is involved in 'every aspect' of her Reading Room festival and will pull out all the stops to ensure her 'baby' is a success tomorrow, insider claims
- Queen Camilla's annual Reading Room festival takes place tomorrow June, 8
- READ MORE: Camilla legs it to her literary festival in VERY royal blue
Queen Camilla has been involved in ‘every aspect’ of her literacy festival at Hampton Court tomorrow.
The Queen's annual Reading Room festival will take place on Saturday June, 8 and was founded by Her Majesty as an independent charity to promote reading and literacy in the UK and globally.
A year on from it's inaugural edition - which played host to King Charles, Sir Derek Jacobi, Richard E Grant and Dame Joanna Lumley - and the Queen is said to have worked 'all year round' to ensure it is of excellent standard.
Vicki Perrin, CEO of Her Majesty’s The Queen’s Reading Room literacy charity has shed light on what the festival means to the Queen, while fondly referring to it as her 'baby'.
Speaking to the Mail this week, she said: ‘Her Majesty has been really involved, she is such an extraordinary supporter of the arts and she understands the value of literary festivals and how precious they are in the UK.
Queen Camilla has been involved in ‘every aspect’ of her literacy festival, which takes place at Hampton Court tomorrow
Her Majesty is said to have worked 'all year round' to ensure it is of excellent standard (pictured at Clarence House, London in February 2023)
‘She and I have been working on this for a year to shape it into the best event it can possibly be. We have bounced ideas around, who should appear, who should talk to whom, which actors can get involved, what authors we should cover.
'It’s very much her baby. She’s always asking me "how many tickets are we at now?" - and looks like we will fill 10,000 seats on Saturday, which is amazing.
‘She cares so much about getting it right and making it accessible and open to as many people as possible'.
Last minute tickets are still available to the festival tomorrow which sees literary luminaries such as Sir Ian Rankin, Lee Child, Ann Cleeves, Rev Richard Coles, Kate Mosse, Mary Beard, Helena Bonham Carter and Harlan Corben take to the stage in thrilling breakout sessions.
The evening session will see ‘naughty national treasure’ Miriam Margolyes on Dickens with a host of special guests.
Indeed, it may surprise people to know that the Queen appreciated her sometimes rather close to the bone humour.
‘She is a national treasure. She is naughty, she’s outrageous but completely authentic and what’s so wonderful is that she is a genuine lover of Charles Dickens and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of his work, ‘ said Vicki.
‘I am hoping it will be naughty and a little bit fun and all those things you expect from her. I know the Queen is particularly looking forward to Miriam.
The Queen pictured with various guests at the inaugural edition of the Reading Room festival last year
King Charles attended the royal reception at Hampton Court Palace
‘The whole thing is beyond exciting and the reaction to the panels has been just phenomenal'.
The festival will also feature three of the world’s biggest crime writers, Vera, Jack Reacher and Rebus, all together sitting on one panel.
Collectively their authors have sold 300 million copies around the world.
It will also welcome Mick Herron of Slow Horses and Harlan Coben, king of Netflix thrillers, who is said to be 'so excited' to be taking part in the festival.
'I think he has fallen a little in love with the Queen' quipped Vicki.
She added: ‘Hampton Court Palace is such an atmospheric, beautiful setting. It’s a setting that has got so many intrigues, plots, murders and coronations. Shakespeare once performed there. It’s such a perfect centre for the festival.
The event was attended by Dame Judi Dench, as well as other celebrities
A large crowd attended the Queen's Reading Room Literary Festival at Hampton Court Palace in 2023
‘People have been travelling from Australia, New Zealand, South African Western Europe, America and Canada to the UK for this. It’s a very loyal following that’s growing.
The CEO also shared a more personal side of the Royal, and explained that despite having libraries of historic tomes at her fingertips, she loves reading a ‘good page turner’ in bed like the rest of us.
Vicki said: ‘I think people are starting to see in the Queen that she is every woman who loves the same books as them. She’s just as excited when the next Rebus comes out as anyone else.
'She devours them. I am really keen for people to see that side of her, to see that she has got libraries at her fingertips but loves a page turner…and sneaks them under the bedcovers to read.
‘Her message has always been put your phones away, sit back and read and enjoy.’
The Queen’s Reading Room festival sold out within ten hours and was forced to move to a bigger capacity.
For last minute tickets see: https://royalreadingroom.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options
