Camilla praises ‘life-enhancing power’ of books amid Earl Spencer memoir controversy

Queen Camilla has spoken of her love for books with a “life-enhancing power” after a series of allegations were made about King Charles in extracts from Earl Spencer’s memoir about the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Camilla was welcomed to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire for the first day of the festival for the Queen’s Reading Room, a charity she founded following the success of her Instagram book club during the pandemic.

She told the guests: “I created my Reading Room simply because, like all of us here, I love books and their life-enhancing power and I want to share that love with others.

“In those early days, I had no idea if anybody would be interested but six years on, we are a global community of millions from over 180 countries, swapping recommendations, undertaking research and donating thousands of books to women’s refuges and homeless shelters.”

Camilla’s speech about her love for reading comes after Spencer made a series of damning claims about the king in a new memoir chronicling the life of his sister, Diana, that prompted an “unprecedented” response from Buckingham Palace, which said: “The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason”.

Camilla will also feature in the BBC Arts programme The Book That Changed My Life, which will be broadcast in the National Year of Reading 2026 and is due to air next month.

The BBC has said the documentary film will follow Camilla as she meets four remarkable people whose lives have been changed by books at moments when they most needed them. The latest details of the show were revealed today at the Reading Room festival.

During the event, she spoke to Ian Kirby, one of the contributors to the documentary, asking him about his experience of finding community and hope through reading.

Kirby, from Gateshead, fell into depression after a traumatic incident at home, but discovered a new perspective on his own experiences after joining a local book club and reading the autobiography of local boxing champion Glenn McCrory.

Speaking in the documentary, he says: “That is the beauty of a book. It can give you experiences you’ve never experienced, but they can also be an inspiration.”

The BBC has previously said the documentary would “feature individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who all share one thing – moving stories of resilience and renewal, fostered by reading”.

“From finding solace in a book while in prison, to overcoming deep depression through the connection of a local book club, or finding the inspiration to completely change their life, these stories reveal how books offer salvation, hope, joy, deep connection and fresh perspectives when people need them most,” it added.

It said the film would also explore the growing scientific evidence of how reading can improve health and wellbeing.

The documentary was first announced by Camilla during a Clarence House reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Queen’s Reading Room book club in March.

In a speech, Camilla described how her literary project was launched to share her “lifelong conviction that books make life better”.

At the festival, alongside the journalist Reeta Chakrabarti and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, Camilla revealed her four book recommendations for autumn – Finding Belle by Chakrabarti, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Whistler by Ann Patchett and Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

In the Sculpture Gallery, Camilla also attended a reception with literary figures taking part in the festival, including Lee Child, who wrote the Jack Reacher novel series, and Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak.

The Book That Changed My Life is expected to air on BBC Two on 14 October.