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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall reads "The Gruffalo" by Julia Donaldson to a Tiny Tots group during the official opening of Lichfield Street Hub (Photo: Anthony Devlin -WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Book lovers, you now have another person to get recommendations from. The latest member of the British royal family to join Instagram is Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, following Queen Elizabeth's Instagram debut in 2019. With social media being a huge part of our lives in this digital age, it doesn't come as a surprise that the royal family is following suit. In 2019, the family also hired a head of digital engagement to connect more with the tech-savvy generation.
The Duchess of Cornwall opened her Instagram, @duchessofcornwallreadingroom on December 31, 2020 as a space for her to celebrate her love of books as well as share her personal reading recommendations. The Reading Room will serve as an online book club where followers get the chance to discover new books and meet (maybe virtually for now) the people who created them, with the seal of approval from the Duchess herself.
The Duchess is a known advocate for literacy and serves as the patron of the National Literacy Trust and other literacy charities. She is often seen visiting bookstores, libraries and joining events that promote reading especially to young children such as World Book Day and International Literacy Day.
In the very first Instagram post, the Duchess shares a special book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse as well as her conversation with its author Charlie Mackesy to kick off the New Year. Since then, the Duchess has continued to share exclusive details on the book leading up to the first season which will be launching on January 15, 2021. The Duchess will reveal four of her book recommendations.
According to a palace source shared with the Daily Mail, "The duchess is hoping her Reading Room will encourage all ages and all levels of reader to pick up a book, and that it will spread awareness of the emotional, social and educational benefits of reading. That is as important to her as recommending any particular title herself. Ultimately, though, her hope is that this should put more books into the hands of more people."
