Queen Camilla has revealed curious details of her personal life with King Charles III. In the BBC documentary “The Book That Changed My Life“, the monarch's 79-year-old wife says that they both have a favorite pre-dinner ritual - they sit down and read, reports Lifestyle.bg.
“My husband and I actually read before dinner. We just like to sit quietly and read“, she says. However, their peace is sometimes disturbed by the emotions that books evoke.
“When I'm deep in a book, from time to time I hear him burst out laughing about something. It's very distracting - I can't get back to my book. Or I suddenly start crying, but it's still a beautiful, quiet time“, shares Camilla.
She does not hide her concern for the future of literature. “I think it would be a complete and utter tragedy if books disappeared forever“, says the Queen. According to her, reading is part of the common cultural heritage and is of key importance to humanity.
“If there was no reading, I personally think we could all give up. Because I don't think we would be human at all“, she adds.
In the film, Camilla also remembers her teenage years in the 1960s, when she secretly read the novel “Lady Chatterley's Lover“ by D. H. Lawrence. The book caused serious controversy because of its explicit sexual scenes.
“As teenagers, we read a lot of romance novels. It was the time of “Lady Chatterley“, which we read under the pillows by flashlight. You know how it is - when something is forbidden, you immediately want to get your hands on it“, she says.
The Queen explains that books played a significant role in her personal education. “I left school quite young. In my time, women didn't go to university, so I think reading was pretty much my entire education“, says Camilla.
Her love of literature also finds expression in her community initiatives. In January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded the “Reading Room“ book club, which still exists. According to the Queen's Reading Room website, the initiative is already registered as a charity, People reports.